Tamil Nadu Assembly seeks time limit to Governors to give assent to bills

The DMK government and the Governor are involved in a running battle over a host of issues

Upping his ante against Governor R N Ravi over pending bills, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday got a resolution passed in the Assembly urging the Union Government and President to prescribe a “specific time limit” to Governors to give assent to the bills passed by the legislature.

Contending that it doesn’t bode well for a democracy that the power of signing a bill passed by the legislatures into law is vested with Governors, Stalin pushed for a Constitutional amendment to revoke powers vested with an “appointed Governor” to approve bills passed by the Assembly consisting of elected representatives.

Stalin also said he was forced by the Governor to move two resolutions against him this year – in January, the Chief Minister had moved a resolution to take “on record” only the text of the Governor’s customary address circulated among MLAs and not his oral speech which skipped several portions from the prepared script.

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Hours after the resolution was passed, the Governor signed into law the bill banning online gambling, though 13 bills are still pending before the Raj Bhavan.

The resolution, which was passed with support from legislators belonging to the ruling DMK, its allies, and PMK amid a walkout by AIADMK on Monday, also said the controversial comments by Ravi in public forums on bills passed by the Assembly “are not in accordance with the office he holds, the oath he took and interest of the State Administration.”

Accusing the governor of functioning against the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu by “indefinitely withholding” many bills passed by the Assembly, the resolution said Ravi’s public utterances “belittle the dignity of this House and undermine the supremacy of the Legislature in a Parliamentary democracy.”

“…this august House unanimously insists that the Union Government and the Hon'ble President should immediately issue appropriate instructions to the Governor to assent to the Bills passed by this Assembly within a specific period,” the resolution moved by Stalin and passed by the House read.

The development came days after the Governor stoked a major row by saying that Raj Bhavan withholding a bill passed by the Assembly is as good as “dead” triggering a sharp reaction from Stalin who accused Ravi of not acting in clear contradiction to his oath of office and against the interests of the state.

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In an all-out attack against the Governor, Stalin said Ravi’s action ensures that he is not ready to be “friends” with the people and government of Tamil Nadu while contending that the Governor should engage with the Government rather than debating administrative procedures in public.

“The Governor, through his statements, dilutes the dignity of the House and the legislations passed for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu. He talks like a politician by forgetting that he is a governor…Moreover, he criticises the government when the Prime Minister is due to visit the state or I plan a trip to Delhi to meet the PM,” Stalin said.

“I won’t say that the Governor doesn’t know the Constitution. But I would like to record here that his political allegiance has swallowed his allegiance to the Constitution…I don’t wish to convert the Assembly into a political forum by responding to the Governor's statement. But at the same time, I would like to say that if the Governor attempts to interfere in the functioning of the Assembly with political motives, we won’t be a mute spectator,” he added.

The government has drafted laws against NEET and on online rummy using the expertise of people like Justices (retired) A K Rajan and K Chandru, Stalin said, adding that people of Tamil Nadu aren’t fools to accept “lame reasons” cited by the Governor to stall these legislations.