Chennai, May 19 (PTI) Even in Congress-ruled states, there are no conflicts between Governors and Chief Ministers and if such conflicts occur only in Tamil Nadu under DMK rule, it is due to the government's overreach, BJP Tamil Nadu spokesperson ANS Prasad alleged here on Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, experienced the "interference" of the Governor appointed by the Congress–DMK coalition government and hence, will not support using governors to disrupt any state government, he said.
The background to the BJP spokesperson's statement is the recent Supreme Court judgment mandating deadlines for President and Governors on Bills and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin writing to his counterparts in 8 states including West Bengal to oppose the Presidential reference made to the apex court, posing 14 questions, on the Governor's case.
The BJP leader said: "Even in Congress-ruled states, there are no conflicts between Governors and Chief Ministers. If such conflicts occur only in Tamil Nadu under DMK rule, it is due to the DMK government's overreach and its arrogant tendency to challenge the Central Government on every issue."
Referring to CM Stalin's often-repeated point, wondering how a governor, a mere appointee of the Centre, can act above an elected state government, Prasad said a governor is not a private individual; he or she is the representative of the Central government, which is also elected by the people.
"Just as decisions made by an appointed Chief Secretary are considered decisions of the state government, decisions made by an appointed governor represent the will of the elected Central government," he said in a statement.
BJP respects the Constitution and the Supreme Court more than anyone else and instead of engaging in "political theatrics" like writing letters, Stalin should cooperate with the Centre for the welfare of the people, Prasad said.