A conundrum popped into the Indian political spectrum last week after the appointment of retired justice S Abdul Khader as the new Andhra Pradesh governor. The appointment triggered a flurry of incensed comments from the opposition, lawyers academicians, and of course the media. Justice Abdul Khader is infamous for his judgment in the Ayodhya case which was the burning news in the country at that time. The current move from the central government is labeled as currying favor for the good deeds of the retired justice while being in the top court. Congress and the left-aligned parties lined up with accusations and more. However, history doesn't make any holy, as the erstwhile congress rule is replete with such happenings and appointments, but the BJP on the other hand is moving a lap further in a bet to cross congress in that record. Many shrewd minds in social media quickly made use o the time to bring back the late BJP leader Arun Jaitley's famous speech in the parliament accusing the congress and the then judges of fawning over the lucrative and elite positions offered after retirement. Former chief justice Ranjan Gogoi just days after his retirement assumed charge as a rajya sabha member after being nominated by the government. The issue courted big talks and controversy back then.

It all started with former Prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru. Nehru appointed Fazal Ali as the Orissa governor just after his retirement as the chief justice of the supreme court. The two shared a bonhomie that remained unfettered for long. The baton was passed to Indira Gandhi but the same process continued with no questions from critics. Meanwhile, Narendra Modi tells he is no different. Just after assuming office as the prime minister of India in 2014, Modi appointed retired chief justice of the supreme court P Sadashivam as the governor of Kerala. The decision received brickbats from the left parties and congress alike. Connecting the dots, it may feel awkward to conclude that it was the same P Sadashivam who acquitted the present home minister of India, Amit shah in the much-discussed Sohrab Uddin case.

This pattern of appointing governors is no new song. The run was going undisturbed for a long amidst the occasional hullabaloo. Just wait for some days and all such conundrum settles down for good. Nevertheless, the appointment of governors has become such a gimmick that the people will soon get to retrospect the newly appointed governors' former verdicts which will surely add to the widening polarization in society.