CHANDIGARH: Surendra Nath a former IPS officer was sworn in as the 26th governor of Punjab at a brief and simple ceremony at the Punjab Raj Bhavan here.
Nath who is the fourth governor of the state in less than two years was administered the oath of office by the acting chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Nath also took over as administrator of the Union territory of Chandigarh.
Later addressing a Press conference Nath said that assembly elections in the state should be held by November 11 the expiry date of the current spell of President’s rule. He said the Centre had briefed him to accord top priority to restore a sense of security and confidence among the people and create an appropriate atmosphere for holding elections in a reasonably free and fair manner
But Nath who has served a brief spell as adviser to the governor after Operation Bluestar struck a note of caution while observing that the problem in the state had got increasingly complicated over the years. There is no magic wand by which this problem can be resolved and I have not come with any readymade plans.
Recalling his brief stint as adviser to Arjun Singh the then governor Nath said he had left Punjab soon after the 1985 elections on a happy note following the freshly signed Punjab accord
But since then much has happened. Today I find the situation more difficult more complex. This is due to a variety of factors including political complications law and order disturbances the involvement of a foreign country and economic issues. Therefore I don’t underestimate the enormity of my task he said.
PUNJABACCORD: Asked whether the Punjab accord was still relevant Nath said it had provided a golden opportunity to resolve the Punjab issue. It had started off well but somewhere along the way it got delayed however I can’t say whether it is totally relevant today because it involves two parties he remarked. Nath said his doors would be always open to militants who were willing to shun violence and join the national mainstream. Perhaps our generation also has to share a part of the responsibility for the weapon-wielding misguided youth who have gone astray. I feel one cannot put the entire responsibility on the youth and write them off but should keep the doors open. The modalities of course can always be worked out he added.
Asked about the proposed bid to amend the People Representation Act in order to denotified polls and bar secessionists from participating in the assembly elections Nath refused to comment saying these issues were not being handled at his level.
The former IPS officer did not agree that there was any deliberate policy of state terrorism in Punjab. He admitted that there may have been of aberrations on the part of the police The police are fighting a difficult battle against heavy odds and are still functioning despite suffering heavy casualties. i would not like to condemn them outright he said. He parried questions on the recent Bureaucrat-police row with the former alleging a police raj in the state. He considered it unfortunate that there was a lack of coordination between the two services. He would deal with the issue on apriority basis he added.
Earlier Gen .Malhotra who relinquished charge Wednesday observed that only elections could restore peace and normalcy in the state. He hoped that the govt would hold elections by November 11 and urged the police and the bureaucracy to support his successor in this regard
The Punjab Congress leaders who had been absent at Gen .Malhotras farewell ceremony Were present in strength at Nath’s swearing-in. No Akali leader was present at either of the ceremonies.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 16, 1991
