NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha on Thursday termed the dismissal of DMK leader and sitting Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji as "outrightly unconstitutional".
He added that the Constitution stipulates that the Governor can merely recommend the dismissal of a sitting minister to the chief minister and not act unilaterally.
Earlier, on Thursday, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi dismissed DMK's jailed minister V Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect.
The minister was arrested earlier in connection with a cash-for-jobs scam case.
"Minister V Senthil Balaji is facing serious criminal proceedings in a number of cases of corruption including taking cash for jobs and money laundering...Under these circumstances, Governor has dismissed him from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect", stated a release issued by the Raj Bhavan in Tamil Nadu.
Chaddha took to Twitter to post, "As per our Constitution, it is under the exclusive domain of the Chief Minister to appoint ministers, reshuffle portfolios, remove a minister. Governor has to merely publish the recommendations of the CM. Dismissal of V Senthil Balaji by Tamil Nadu Governor is outrightly unconstitutional."
After getting arrested by ED, V Senthil Balaji was later admitted to a government hospital in Chennai after he complained of chest pains.
He was allowed by the Madras High Court on June 15 to be shifted to a private hospital of his choice.
The Supreme Court, earlier this month, refused to interfere with the Madras High Court order allowing Balaji to be moved to a private hospital in Chennai and admitted a habeas corpus petition filed against his arrest.