NEW DELHI/ SHILLONG: Governor Tathagata Roy, who rejoined office on Monday after a leave of over a month, will have less than four months before his tenure ends.
Roy was first appointed governor of Tripura on May 12, 2015, and served the state for three years. It was in August 2018 that Roy was transferred and appointed governor of Meghalaya.
Sources said that a new governor can be appointed for a full five-year term even before the end of Roy’s tenure.
He was asked to go on leave in December following his adverse comments on issues related to CAA.
Roy was reportedly chastened by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for his repeated controversial stand on many issues.
Earlier, though Roy had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he did not join even after that.
Sources in the MHA said that the governor was advised not to make any highly controversial statements, especially in his twitter account. His tweets on Kashmir and most recently on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill had created problems for the government.
With Roy rejoining office, the additional charge given to Nagaland Governor RN Ravi to look after the affairs of Meghalaya has automatically ended. Ravi took additional charge on December 17 last year.
Roy had on January 4 extended his leave indefinitely, making his return to Shillong uncertain.
He had reportedly extended the leave after a telephonic conversation with an official in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Roy was directed to go on leave on December 18 following his controversial tweet advising anti-CAA protesters to go to North Korea.
While the state government was caught in a series of problems, including demand for implementation of ILP, the governor’s return to the state is crucial.
Roy also had problems with the NPP-led MDA government where BJP is a partner. He is also yet to give his assent to the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security (Amendment) Ordinance passed by the state cabinet, and had rejected the recommendation of the state government for imposition of
Administrator’s Rule in Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC).
