CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government does not have any personal enmity towards Governor RN Ravi who has a pleasant disposition, Chief Minister MK Stalin said on Monday in the Assembly.
Stalin justified the non-participation in a recent Raj Bhavan event, saying it was because of pendency of the anti-NEET Bill.
The Governor, not forwarding the anti-NEET Bill to the Centre to get Presidential assent, is an insult to the people of the State and not to him, Stalin said.
Respecting the people's sentiments, Ravi should have sent the Bill to the Centre but not doing so is not proper and it also went against the dignity of the House, he said.
The TN Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, which was passed on September 13, 2021, was returned by the Governor to the government on February 1, 2022 for reconsideration.
On February 8 this year, the Bill was adopted again by the Assembly and it was sent to the Raj Bhavan.
Explaining the reason for not taking part in a reception hosted by Ravi days ago, Stalin said participation would have meant hurting people's sentiments and further eroding the dignity of the House, as the anti-NEET Bill was stuck in the Raj Bhavan and lying unattended.
Constrained by this, the government could not take part in the event, he said.
Since it is his responsibility to uphold the Assembly honour, he had to take such a decision, the Chief Minister said.
The government would echo people's sentiments in all fora and protect people's rights in the matter.
On April 14, the ruling DMK and its allies boycotted the 'At Home' reception hosted by the Governor here in protest against the pendency of the Bill that sought exemption of Tamil Nadu from NEET's ambit.
"We do not have any personal enmity towards the honourable Governor," the Chief Minister said making a statement in the Assembly.
At a personal level, Stalin said he and Ravi shared a cordial relationship.
The Governor has lauded the government's performance during conversations in person and also appreciated in public.
The Chief Minister said the Governor has a pleasant disposition who gave him and the government a lot of respect and the government reciprocated it.
The government would always give him due respect, which is the culture transcending political boundaries.
"We should always guard this culture at all times and we will."
Citing news reports stating that Ravi has decided to send the Bill to President Ram Nath Kovind, Stalin said after watching developments related to it, if needed, the next course of action would be decided by convening a meeting of all parties in the House.