Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, invited by Governor R.N. Ravi, met him at the Raj Bhavan on Saturday and urged him to give consent to the pending Bills and files related to the prosecution of the former AIADMK Ministers in due course and avoid any delay in future.
“The meeting was cordial. The Governor and the Chief Minister exchanged pleasantries and views on a range of issues concerning the State. The Governor reiterated his total commitment to the good of the people of Tamil Nadu and assured the government of continuing support within the bounds of the Constitution,” a Raj Bhavan release said.
The Governor also underscored the need for and advantage of periodic meetings with the Chief Minister in the larger interests of the State.
According to the government, the Governor invited the Chief Minister following the advice of the Supreme Court to end the impasse with the Chief Minister.
Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, while hearing a case filed by the Tamil Nadu government accusing the Governor of delaying consent to the Bills, had said, “So many things need to be resolved between the Chief Minister and the Governor. Please ask the Governor to engage with the Chief Minister. Let them sit down and discuss.”
Mr. Stalin, accompanied by Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, Law Minister S. Regupathy, and Backward Classes and Higher Education Minister S.R. Rajakannappan and Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena, urged the Governor to give consent to the files pending for months.
“He also told the Governor to get back the 10 Bills he has unnecessarily sent to the President and give his consent to them. Besides, the Governor was asked to speed up the process to give consent to the files prepared by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to prosecute former AIADMK Ministers K.C. Veeramani and M.R. Vijayabaskar,” the government said in a release. It was pointed out that the files had been pending with the Governor for more than 15 months. Another issue that came up at the meeting was the pending of files related to sanction for the appointment of members of the Tamil Nadu Public Services Commission (TNPSC).
The Chief Minister said the Governor’s action would benefit the people of the State and the administration only if he functioned in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. “Since Ministers and officials of various departments have met the Governor and furnished him with details of the cases and the Bills, he should keep in mind the advice of the Supreme Court and give his consent,” Mr. Stalin said at the meeting. Reiterating his faith in and respect for constitutional bodies, Mr. Stalin, in a letter, urged the Governor to give his consent to the Bills and the files.
