NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday wrote a letter to his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin over the confrontation over the state government’s confrontation with Governor RN Ravi. He said that democracy in India is being dealt blows every single day and the country’s federal structure is in grave danger. Kejriwal also noted that “every tenet” of the India’s Constitution stands compromised, be it liberty, equality, secularism, or fraternity.
Sharing the letter on Twitter, Kejriwal said, “We condemn the actions of the Centre and its representatives to usurp and constrain powers of non-BJP State Govts. I support MK Stalin’s efforts.”
He further announced that the Delhi government will also table a resolution in Delhi Vidhan Sabha urging the Centre to fix time limits for Governors or L-G to carry out their functions. He said the interface of the state governments and their Governors or Lt Governors has effectively become “a battlefront where a silent war is being waged by the Union government.”
The governors and Lt Governors are “wilfully” undermining democratically elected state governments and obstructing administration as per their “whims and fancies”, the Delhi chief minister charged.
Kejriwal also commended Tamil Nadu Assembly for passing a resolution seeking a time-frame for governors to approve bills passed by the state legislatures, and said his government will also bring a similar resolution in Delhi Assembly in the next session.
Stalin recently wrote to his counterparts in non-BJP ruled states, urging them to pass a resolution in their respective assemblies, seeking the Centre to fix a time limit for the governors to approve bills passed by the state legislatures.
Citing the hurdles faced by the AAP government in the day-to-day functioning, Kejriwal said, “The fact that the Governors or L-G of non-BJP ruled governments are indefinitely holding bills passed by Legislative Assemblies or files sent by the Government of NCT of Delhi is not only a violation of our constitutional scheme but also a disrespect for the people’s mandate which is supreme in any democracy.”
He highlighted the role of the governor in a federal structure. “The cherished ideal of cooperative federalism has been rendered a lip service, despite the government honouring the principle to its core. Unfortunately, this has resulted in the people raising questions about the very role of the solemn office of the Governor/Lt.Governor,” he said.
Stalin sought support from non-BJP states
MK Stalin recently wrote to his counterparts in non-BJP ruled states, urging them to pass a resolution in their respective assemblies, seeking the Centre to fix a time limit for the governors to approve bills passed by the state legislatures.