Q.Why are many States unhappy about the role of the Governor?

In each Indian state, the Governor is the constitutional head appointed directly by the central government, rather than someone elected by the people of the state. Because the Governor owes their appointment to the centre, their actions -- especially decisions about which party should be invited to form a government, or recommendations about the state's administration -- are often viewed by state governments as an extension of central influence into state affairs. This suspicion becomes especially sharp when the party controlling the centre is different from the party in power in the state.

The Governor's role is closely tied to Article 356 of the Constitution, which allows the President to impose "President's Rule" on a state if its government can no longer be run according to constitutional provisions -- effectively transferring control of the state's administration to the union government for a period that can, with repeated parliamentary approval, extend up to three years. Because it is the Governor who typically recommends this step, and because the provision has at times been used to dismiss elected state governments -- even ones that commanded a legislative majority -- Article 356 has been one of the most controversial and heavily debated …