Wife prodded me to occupy Raj Bhavan: Bhardwaj

An assignment planned to rejuvenate his health and one that would allow him to enjoy the pleasant Bangalore weather was seemingly irresistible for Governor H R Bhardwaj.

In an interaction with the media here on Tuesday, Bhardwaj revealed that he was in no mood to accept the post of governor of Karnataka when it was offered to him in June 2009.

Bhardwaj, a former Union minister, said his temperament did not allow him to become a “rubber stamp,” and he had sought time from the prime minister to convey his decision.
Bhardwaj said: “However, my wife insisted that I accept the post as it was better than sitting idle. Besides, she pointed out that staying in a beautiful state like Karnataka would improve my health. I accepted the post. One cannot say no to his wife.”

Bhardwaj said when he took up the issue of illegal mining in the State, he came in for intense criticism from the then BJP government. “Instead of my health improving, it deteriorated. They kept on attacking me. You do not know how much I was harassed. I suffered in silence,” the Governor said.

He said he took up the issue in the interest of the State. Bhardwaj said he had completed four years in Raj Bhavan and was now in the process of winding up. He said he would retire from public life after completing his tenure (June 2014) as he had lost the capacity to bear the kind of politics happening in the country.

“The kind of politics that is happening is destroying the nation. I cannot bear all this,” he added.