CPI urges Governor Arlekar to act in accordance with Constitution

CHENNAI: CPI State Secretary M. Veerapandian on Thursday urged Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to act in accordance with the Constitution and provide Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) an opportunity to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.

In a statement, Veerapandian said the verdict in the Assembly elections held on April 23 did not provide any single party with a clear mandate to independently form the government. However, the voters had elected TVK as the single largest party by giving it 108 seats.

He said TVK president C. Joseph Vijay had met the Governor and staked claim to form the government. Insisting that TVK prove its majority before the swearing-in ceremony was not appropriate, he said.

The CPI leader said that, as the single largest party, TVK should be given adequate time by the Governor, in accordance with constitutional provisions, to establish its majority on the floor of the House.

He pointed out that the Supreme Court, in several judgments including the S.R. Bommai case, had upheld this principle. Taking these rulings into consideration, the CPI urged the Governor to provide TVK an opportunity to prove its majority in the Assembly and to act in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution and Supreme Court judgments.