In the midst of the ongoing squabble between Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and the MK Stalin-led state government, the government plans to pass a resolution in the state assembly on Monday urging the Centre and President to give the Governor immediate appropriate instructions to approve the Bills sent to him after they are passed in the assembly. Earlier this month, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, while interacting with the civil services aspirants, explained the role of the Governor in the Constitution and said that he has the option to give assent or withhold the Bill passed by the Assembly, and added that the latter means the “Bill is dead”. The Governor said that “withholding” is a “decent language” used for the Bill to get rejected. Ravi said that the responsibility of the Governor is defined by the Constitution which is to protect the Constitution.
He also said that the Governor looks into the Bill if it does not “transgress the Consitutional limit” and the state government does not “exceed its competence”.
Last month, CM Stalin slammed Governor Ravi after it returned the online gambling prohibition Bill four months after the State legislature passed it. In addition, the Chief Minister stated, “This demonstrates not only the Governor’s dereliction of duty, but also total obstruction. If we keep putting pressure on the Governor, for example, by asking for clarification, and he returns the bill, he will believe his responsibility is over.”
P Chidambaram, a Congress veteran and former finance minister, also slammed Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi’s remark, saying it means “Parliamentary Democracy is dead.”