Maharashtra governor refuses to step down

Says he will consider if directive comes from an appropriate authority

Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan has refused to resign. Instead, Sankaranarayanan said if an appropriate decision making authority asks him to quit he will definitely think over.

Sankaranarayanan while speaking to a TV channel at the Raj Bhavan said ''Union home secretary Anil Goswami called me twice during last week asking to demit the office. I did not reply to him anything. My stand is that the Governor's post is a constitutional post. The Governor is a representative of the President of India. No responsible person has asked me anything in writing to relieve the post. There is no vaccum in the Governor's post.'' He went on to add that no position in a democracy is permanent.

''If any appropriate decision making authority asks me to resign, I wiill definitely think over it,'' Sankaranarayanan said.

Sankaranarayanan took over as the Maharashtra Governor on January 22, 2010 and he was re-appointed for five year term on May 7, 2012. He had also served as the Governor of Nagaland and Jharkhand. On August 27, 2011, he was given additional charge of Goa till BV Wanchoo was appointed on May 4, 2012.

Prior to his appointment as Governor, Sankaranarayanan had served as a Minister in several Congress led governments of Kerala headed by Chief Ministers AK Antony and K Karunakaran.