THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Chennai, Nov 18: During a special session on Saturday, the Tamil Nadu Assembly readopted 10 bills that State Governor RN Ravi had returned.
MLAs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) staged a walkout as the House’s proceedings got underway at 10 am.
The bills, spanning various departments such as Law, Agriculture, and Higher Education, were approved by the House during the special session.
MK Stalin addressed the assembly, saying, “It’s the duty of the Governor to grant assent to bills passed by the assembly which comprises elected representatives of the people. If he has any questions, he can take it up with the government.”
“Earlier, when the Governor had raised queries about certain bills, the state gave a response promptly. There has never been an instance where the government hasn’t provided clarification sought by the Governor,” Stalin stated.
In order to address the ten bills that the House had previously approved and that Governor RN Ravi had returned, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin moved a special resolution in the state Assembly on Saturday.
Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly Appavu stated, “The Bills will be passed and sent again to Governor RN Ravi.”
Stalin alleged the Governor is “insulting” the assembly and the people of the state by returning the bills and accused the Governor of acting against the Constitution, during the special session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly that was called today.
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“The fact that the Governor was sitting on these 12 bills and other files amounts to the governor acting against the people, democracy, law and conscience. The person appointed as Governor of Tamil Nadu must work for the welfare of the state. He can help the state with getting new railway projects. But instead of doing all this, the Governor works every day thinking about how to stall the state schemes,” the Tamil Nadu CM said.
“The Supreme Court’s observation against the Governor is the first victory for this assembly,” Stalin added.
Stalin mentioned that Governor Ravi returned the bills without offering any justification. Among the 10 bills returned, two had been passed by the former AIADMK government.
In a special session called by the DMK government, Chief Minister Stalin spoke about the re-adoption of bills that had been returned by the Governor. This move followed concerns expressed by the Supreme Court about the Governor’s perceived “inaction” on these bills.
In his address during the session, Chief Minister Stalin remarked, “TN Assembly have seen many MLAs. Social justice and social reform policies have been stated in this Assembly. Members from the English parliament have come and learnt how the session is run here”.
Stalin emphasized the contributions of Ambedkar, the ‘Father of the Dravidian movement’, Periyar, and former chief ministers CN Annadurai and M Karunanidhi to the development of the state, saying, “Today’s government is a Dravidian model Government and it’s appreciated by people. If there is any hindrance from the union Government and if there is no such, then many good things would have happened”.
“Governor has not given nod for the bills passed in TN Assembly. The DMK government has been formed by the majority of the people. It’s the duty of the governor to give assent to the bills. If he had any doubt, he would have asked. Returning the bills shows that the Governor is insulting this assembly and people,” Stalin said.
The leader of the DMK contended that as the appointee of the President, the governor should play a role in fostering the state’s development by leveraging his proximity to the Central government. This involvement could contribute to securing beneficial resources for the state, such as the establishment of institutions like AIIMS hospital.
“He returned the Bills due to his personal whims and fancies…it is undemocratic and anti-people to not give assent to them’, Stalin stated.
He alleged that states not governed by the BJP were being singled out through Governors, seemingly orchestrated by the Central government.
Mocking the Governor for sending back the bills approved by the State Assembly, Stalin remarked, “It’s not good for his (Governor) position”. He is acting against the Constitution and the State”.
