Ravi holding Constitutional post, but acting against it, says Speaker Appavu

Governor R.N. Ravi, by refusing to execute the recommendations of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, was acting against the Constitution even though he was holding the Constitutional post, Speaker M. Appavu said on Friday.

Governor R.N. Ravi, by refusing to execute the recommendations of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, was acting against the Constitution even though he was holding the Constitutional post, Speaker M. Appavu said on Friday.

When asked about Mr. Ravi’s observation that V. Senthil Balaji, now under judicial custody after being arrested in connection with job racket charges, could not be allowed to continue as Minister without portfolio, Mr. Appavu told reporters here that the Minister, who was just an accused and not a convict, could either be removed from the Cabinet or his portfolio could be changed only based on the recommendation of the democratically elected CM.

The Governor, who had to just accept the recommendation of the CM, could not say that Mr. Senthil Balaji could not be allowed to enjoy ministerial berth without portfolio.

“When [incumbent Home Minister] Amit Shah was arrested in connection with an encounter case in 2010, he was a Minister in the Gujarat Cabinet. Even when he was in jail, he continued to be a Minister without portfolio as he was just an accused in a criminal case... it could be applicable to Mr. Senthil Balaji too. So, the Governor should not act in autocratic manner against the Constitution,” Mr. Appavu reasoned.

“A Governor, who should be secular and not display his affiliation to any side or any religion, should uphold the sanctity of the Constitutional post he is holding. However, he behaves like a politician and displays his affiliation to a particular religion by saying that no country across the globe is secular, which is unhealthy,” he added.

Earlier, during an informal interaction with reporters at Nilapparai near Kanniyakumari, Mr. Appavu said giving ministerial berth to the MLAs and allocation of portfolios to them after accommodating them as Ministers were the CM’s prerogative as per the Constitution.

The Speaker also criticised what he called the Governor’s recent mocking of the CM’s visit to Singapore and Japan to woo industrial investments. He said the Enforcement Directorate’s search at the Secretariat was a blow to the sanctity of the ‘Temple of Democracy’.