NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress MP Sougata Roy on Monday accused the Centre of interfering in the administration of states through its nominated governors.
Speaking during the Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, Roy claimed that in non-BJP ruled states like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the elected governments were facing such issues.
"The nominated governors are interfering in the day-to-day administration of the states. They are calling for the police officers and the chief secretary.
"In Tamil Nadu, the governor has returned a bill passed by the state assembly, in West Bengal, the governor is refusing to sign a bill which was unanimously passed in the assembly," he said.
Roy was also stopped twice during his statement by Speaker Om Birla who warned him to speak within the rules.
The TMC leader said that he won't speak a single word against the Constitution.
Stressing that Centre-State relations form the basis of federalism, Roy urged Home Minister Amit Shah, who was in the House, to intervene.
"The Home Minister is sitting here. They come to Delhi to visit him. Can't he tell them to stop tweeting?" he asked.
His remarks come in the backdrop of a public spat between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankar, with Banerjee saying she has blocked him on Twitter as she is "disturbed" by his regular posts against her government.
Other issues raised during the Zero Hour include the amendments to the IAS, IPS and IFS cadre rules, which Trinamool Congress MP Aparna Poddar said was "against cooperative federalism".
A Congress MP from Kerala, Benny Behanan, urged the government not to shut down printing presses in the state, while Odisha BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab demanded that lightning should be treated as a national disaster.