Tamil Nadu Congress calls for a joint protest against Governor Ravi

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagari on Thursday called for a joint protest in front of Raj Bhavan led by the DMK, the Congress and other allies against Governor R.N. Ravi for “continuously acting against Tamil Nadu’s interests”.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagari on Thursday called for a joint protest in front of Raj Bhavan led by the DMK, the Congress and other allies against Governor R.N. Ravi for “continuously acting against Tamil Nadu’s interests”.

In a statement, Mr. Alagiri condemned Mr. Ravi’s remarks that “people were instigated to protest using foreign funds” against Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi, which was producing 40% of India’s copper needs.

“The people who lost their livelihood due to the environmental pollution began a strident protest in which close to 14 people died. The plant was closed down after the verdicts of the High Court and the Supreme Court. Does the Governor have any evidence to prove his allegations? If he does, he should present them to the Tamil Nadu government. Above all, these allegations will hurt the feelings of the protestors,” he said.

Mr. Alagiri also criticised Mr. Ravi’s contention that “when a Governor refuses to provide his consent for a resolution (passed by the Assembly), it means that it is being rejected” and asked what right does he have to do it. “According to Constitution 163 (1), the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers are there to aid and advise the Governor.  The Governor cannot act against the advise of the Council of Ministers. The boundaries of his discretion are very small. If he returns a Bill, the Assembly can pass it again and the Governor has no right reject it,” he said.

Mr. Alagiri felt Mr Ravi is exceeding the limits of his constitutional powers and alleged he appeared to be someone who was acting of the behest of the BJP.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee SC wing said it would organise a ‘black flags’ protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his scheduled visit to Chennai on April 8.

TNCC SC wing head M.P. Ranjan Kumar, who recently organised a protest against the BJP for the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP along with the minority cell and OBC cell in Chennai, said, “We will continue to oppose the BJP in every way possible. When the Prime Minister arrives in Chennai, we will protest against him with black flags.”