Amid the growing tussle with Governor R.N. Ravi, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday adopted a fiery resolution in the state assembly urging the Union government and President Droupadi Murmu to prescribe a “specific time limit” for governors to give assent for bills. The resolution was passed unanimously against the governor indefinitely withholding several bills.
Expressing deep regrets over Ravi’s actions, the chief minister said that he was under compulsion to move a resolution against the governor in the assembly for the second time as the governor was functioning with political motives. “Raj Bhavan has been converted into a political Bhavan,” Stalin said while recalling the Rajamannar committee's observation that “this is the appropriate time to abolish the post of governor and the governor should be a detached figure”.
Stalin said: “The controversial comments made by the Honourable Governor in a public forum about the bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and sent for assent, are not in accordance with the office he holds, the oath he took and interest of the state administration.” Stating that the governor’s actions are against the Constitution and belittles the dignity of the house, he said “it undermines the supremacy of the legislature in a parliamentary democracy.”
The resolution moved in the house read, “the august House records with deep regret the action of the Honourable Governor of Tamil Nadu by indefinitely withholding many bills without giving permission, passed by the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu – on the basis of its sovereignty and the legislative responsibilities enshrined in the Constitution of India – thereby functioning against the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu. This august House unanimously insists that the Union government and the Honourable President should immediately issue appropriate instructions to the governor to give assent to the bills passed by this Assembly within a specific period.”
During a debate on the resolution, leader of the house and water resources minister Durai Murugan called for abolishing the post of governor. “Whose father’s money are you spending? Governor thinks he is spending on promoting the RSS agenda. You go and join the BJP if you want to promote the RSS agenda,” Durai Murugan said. Recalling the clash between the then governor Chenna Reddy and then CM Jayalalithaa during the AIADMK regime in 1991-1995, Durai Murugan said, “We won’t pelt stones at the governor's convoy like the AIADMK did when he was returning from Pondicherry to Chennai. We are cultured unlike the AIADMK.”
Earlier, finance minister P.T.R. Palanivel Thiagarajan said Tamil Nadu is spending money for Raj Bhavan under three heads—for the governor secretariat, for household expenses at the two Raj Bhavans in Chennai and Ooty and towards the discretionary grant. Thiagarajan said that the government had spent Rs 3.63 crores towards the secretariat expenses, Rs 16.69 crores towards household expenses and Rs 5 crore towards discretionary grant which is against the prescribed financial code.
It was in January this year, Stalin moved a resolution in the house against R.N. Ravi when the latter omitted certain portions of the prepared text of the governor’s customary address to the house. On April 7, Ravi while addressing the civil service aspirants said, “if a governor withholds assent to a bill passed in the assembly, it means the bill is dead.”
On the same day, Stalin, while speaking in the house, raised objections to Ravi’s explanation on withholding the bills and said that “the governor is repeatedly functioning in a manner contrary to his oath of office and detrimental to the welfare of the state.”
Meanwhile, the opposition AIADMK led by its leader Edappadi K. Palanisami walked out of the assembly even before the resolution could be moved, the reason being Speaker M. Appavu not accepting their demand to recognise R.B. Udhayakumar as the deputy leader of opposition instead of O. Panneerselvam.
