CHENNAI: The stand-off between the DMK government and Governor RN Ravi is likely to worsen with Chief Minister MK Stalin expected to move a motion in Assembly on Monday urging the president and the union government to advise Governor RN Ravi to accord his assent to bills adopted by the House within an appropriate time. The motion may also record with regret the governor’s inordinate delay in giving assent to bills and mention that such acts of the governor belittle the supremacy of the legislature.
Sources said CM will move the motion after getting the House’s permission to suspend invocation of rule 92(vii) which says: “A member, while speaking, must not reflect upon the conduct of president or any governor or any court of justice or use of governor’s or president’s name for the purpose of influencing a debate.”
Sources also said the motion will point out that the government elected by the people has the democratic and constitutional duty to fulfill the expectations and needs of the people and that the governor has been acting against the interests of the people by delaying his assent to bills for indefinite periods. Besides, the controversial views expressed by the governor in the public domain about the bills belittle the supremacy of legislature and such activities of the governor are against the conventions as well as the state administration, the motion will state.
The CM is expected to request the House to unanimously adopt this motion urging the president and the union government to advise the governor to give his assent to the bills within an appropriate time. Sources said the motion would also urge the president to fix a time frame for state governors to give their assent to the bills.
Governor Ravi has been at loggerheads with the DMK government on various issues since he assumed office, particularly by not giving his assent to many bills, including the one to ban online gambling.
A few days ago, the governor, while interacting with civil service aspirants, said that withholding assent to a bill would mean that the bill is dead. This drew sharp reactions from the CM and allies of the DMK. Further, the DMK and its allies have been demanding the recall of Ravi, charging that he has been acting against democratic and constitutional norms.
Tension between rulers and guv after 3 decades
Tamil Nadu is witnessing such a prolonged tussle between the ruling party and the governor after three decades. During the 1990s, then governor M Channa Reddy and then CM J Jayalalithaa were at odds for various reasons.