Rajnath refutes Uttarakhand Governor's claim of being asked to quit

Lucknow: Government on Friday denied claims made by Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi that he had been asked to quit and said an "appropriate response" will be filed before Supreme Court soon.

Talking to PTI after touring flood-affected areas of Uttar Pradesh, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, "There was no move to remove him. He holds the Constitutional post with the pleasure of the President."

The statement from the Minister came a day after the Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre on the Uttarakhand Governor's plea challenging Narendra Modi government's moves to ease him out of office, bringing the controversy over removal of UPA-appointed Governors under judicial lens.

The apex court had also issued notice to Home Secretary Anil Goswami who had allegedly threatened Governor Qureshi to resign from the post or face removal by Centre. However, the Home Minister maintained that no pressure was exerted for Qureshi's removal and said that a response will be filed before the apex court soon.

The Government will be filing an "appropriate reply to the Supreme Court" in response to Aziz's decision to approach the apex court, he said. Qureshi is the first Governor to move Supreme Court against the Modi government.

Earlier, the NDA government had sacked Mizoram Governor 87-year-old Kamla Beniwal, who had served in Gujarat earlier and had a running battle with Narendra Modi when he was the state's Chief Minister. Virendra Kataria, a former Congress leader, was also sacked as Puducherry Lt Governor last month.