Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Controversies dog Meghalaya Raj Bhavan

By STAFF CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, Aug 22 - Controversies have dogged the Meghalaya Raj Bhavan in the last couple of years. Against this backdrop, the appointment of Tathagata Roy as the new Governor of the State is being expected to be �a change for the better�.

In less than a year, Governor Ganga Prasad has been transferred from the State and in his place, Roy will take charge of the Raj Bhavan here. Prasad has been shifted to Sikkim.

It may be mentioned here that former Governor V Shanmuganathan was asked to step down by the Centre early last year following allegations made by his staff that he had turned the Raj Bhavan into a �ladies club�.

During an interview at the Raj Bhavan, Shanmuganathan was alleged to have hugged a candidate. Though the allegations were never substantiated, the Governor was asked to step down by the Centre in January, 2017.

For nine months after Shanmuganathan, the post remained vacant and in October 2017, Ganga Prasad was sworn in. Initially, Prasad�s appointment was uneventful, but a controversy erupted after he addressed the Budget Session of the Meghalaya Assembly in Hindi.

This was the first time that the Assembly was addressed in any language other than English by a Governor. Some Congress legislators walked out when Prasad was delivering his address and others later spoke in Khasi and Garo languages in protest.

In recent times, Prasad had singularly concentrated on the agriculture sector and never missed an opportunity to be part of activities concerning agriculture. He also arranged a workshop on aromatic plants at the Raj Bhavan with the assistance of officials of the Agriculture Department.

Meanwhile, Roy has also had his fair share of controversy as the Tripura Governor. He is active on social media platforms like Twitter and does not hide his opinions, calling himself a �right-wing Hindu socio-political thinker, writer, ideologue�.

Next Story