Narayanan first Guv to face CBI grill, does not add to eminence of office: BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nalin Kohli on Monday said the recent questioning of West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) while in office must be a first, and does not add to the eminence of the office.

"The Governor's office is an office of eminence. It's an office whose respect and dignity needs to be maintained. We do not why he has resigned. That the Governor of West Bengal has resigned it is for him to comment on. However, it was definitely a first time that a sitting Governor was questioned by the CBI and that doesnot add to the eminence of the office," Kohli said.

MK Narayanan is reported to have resigned as the Governor of West Bengal on Moday after completing more than four years of his five-year term.

This comes close on the heels after Narayanan was questioned by the CBI for two hours as a witness on Friday at the Raj Bhawan in Kolkata in connection with the sale of 12 VVIP choppers to India by AgustaWestland, an Anglo-Italian defence manufacturer.

During his tenure as National Security Advisor in 2005, Narayanan had attended meetings where technical specifications were amended for the 12 helicopters that the government wanted to buy for the use of the Prime Minister and the President, among others. The changes ensured that AgustaWestland qualified for the contract.

The 3600-crore deal which was signed in 2010 was cancelled in January this year by India over allegations that kickbacks were paid by AgustaWestland and its parent company, Italian defence giant Finnmeccanica.

Narayanan was one of the governors whose resignation was being sought by the Modi Government.

B.L Joshi was the first to resign as Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Shekhar Dutt also followed suit by tendering his resignation as Chhattisgarh Governor.