The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday reacted sharply to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit’s letter warning the state government of recommending President’s Rule under Article 356 and said that the Bhagwant Mann-led government is working within the constitutional framework. Responding to the Governor’s letter to CM Mann, AAP leader Malvinder Singh Kang said that BJP’s agenda has come to his lips and dared him to impose the President’s rule in saffron party Manipur and Haryana.

“Such threatening and warning by the Governor, the threat to impose President’s Rule – BJP’s agenda has come on the lips of the Governor. I would like to tell the Governor that if they want to impose the President’s Rule, they should do that in Manipur, in Haryana,” Kang said, according to news agency ANI.

The AAP leader accused the Governor of “working like a BJP spokesperson” and “taking forward the saffron party’s agenda” of disturbing the non-BJP state governments. “The Governor is working like a BJP spokesperson. This is against the democratic and constitutional principles of the country,” he added.

Earlier, Governor Purohit had warned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of action under Article 356 if he failed to respond to his letters. Under Article 356 of the Constitution, the Union government can take direct control of state machinery if the state government is unable to function according to Constitutional provisions.

In a strongly worded letter, the Governor also warned criminal proceedings under Section 124 of the IPC (assaulting the President, Governor, etc., with intent to compel or restrain the exercise of any lawful power) over the CM’s failure to give information sought by him through letters.

Referring to his previous letters seeking information on a number of issues, Purohit said it appears Mann is deliberately refusing to give the information asked to him.  The Governor also accused the CM of making derogatory remarks against him.

It included the remarks in which the CM had called the Governor a “velha baitha” (someone who had nothing productive to do) who kept sending him “love letters”.

Purohit said through these “derogatory remarks”, the CM attempted to restrain him from “exercising the lawful powers conferred on me under article 167 of the Constitution”.