Tamil Nadu Governor vs DMK On Jailed Minister Is Latest In Series Of Spats

MK Stalin and Governor Ravi have earlier clashed on pending bills, Mr Stalin's foreign trips, the Dravidian model of governance, and the latter's remarks on the state's name.

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi's recent clash with the DMK government over jailed state minister V Senthil Balaji is only the latest in a series of run-ins between the two. Chief Minister MK Stalin and Centre-appointed Governor Ravi have earlier clashed on pending bills, Mr Stalin's foreign trips, the Dravidian model of governance, and the latter's remarks on the state's name.

The DMK had in April moved a resolution in the state assembly urging the central government and President Droupadi Murmu to immediately issue appropriate instructions to the Governor to give assent to the bills passed by the Assembly within a specific period of time. The ruling party alleges more than 10 such bills are pending with the Governor. MK Stalin has said the Governor is functioning against the welfare of the people and is "not ready to be a friend of the people."

Shortly after the MK Stalin-led government's offensive, RN Ravi signed off on a proposed law to ban online gambling and to regulate internet games today. The DMK had called him out for not clearing the bill nearly six months since it was passed in the state assembly. A bill seeking to remove him as the Chancellor of state universities is among those pending with Mr Ravi.

The Governor has earlier defended his position, arguing that he has the option to give assent or withhold the Bill passed by the Assembly and that the latter means the "Bill is dead". The Governor said that "withholding" is a "decent language" used for the Bill to get rejected. He also said that the Governor looks into the Bill if it does not "transgress the Constitutional limit" and the state government does not "exceed its competence".