CHENNAI:  Endorsing his alliance partner and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's views on the Union government's Presidential reference in the Governor RN Ravi case, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP regime was stifling the voices of elected governments using gubernatorial heads, which was a dangerous assault on federalism.

Taking to social media to express solidarity with Stalin on the issue, Rahul Gandhi 'reposted' a May 15 dated message of the TN Chief Minister on microblogging site 'X', and said, "India's strength lies in its diversity — a Union of States, each with its own voice. The Modi government is misusing Governors to stifle those voices and obstruct elected state governments. This is a dangerous assault on federalism and it must be resisted."

The Leader of the Opposition ended his silence on the issue after Stalin condemned the Union and interpreted the reference as an attempt to subvert the Constitutional position already settled by the Supreme Court in the Tamil Nadu Governor's case. Stalin also said last week that the presidential reference clearly exposed the fact that the Tamil Nadu Governor acted at the BJP's behest to undermine people's mandate. Stalin also said that it was a desperate attempt to weaken democratically elected State governments by placing them under the control of Governors serving as agents of the Union government.