TN CM Stalin condemns Centre for seeking SC opinion on deadlines for Governor

CHENNAI: Strongly condemning the union government's Presidential reference on the Supreme Court verdict setting time frame for the President and state governors to act on the Bills sent for assent by the State Assemblies, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday sought to know if the BJP was seeking to legitimise governors' obstruction by allowing indefinite delays in assenting Bills?

Describing the Centre’s move as an attempt to subvert the Constitution and weaken democratically elected governments, Stalin said, "I strongly condemn the Union Government's Presidential reference, which attempts to subvert the Constitutional position already settled by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the Tamil Nadu Governor's case and other precedents."

Questioning the motive behind the union government's move, Stalin said, "This attempt clearly exposes the fact that the Tamil Nadu Governor acted at the BJP's behest to undermine the people's mandate. This is nothing but a desperate attempt to weaken democratically elected state governments by placing them under the control of governors serving as agents of the Union Government. It also directly challenges the majesty of law and the authority of the Supreme Court as the final interpreter of the Constitution."

Posing pointed queries to the Union, the Tamil Nadu chief minister, in a message posted on his X page, wondered, "Why should there be any objection to prescribing time limits for governors to act? Is the BJP seeking to legitimise its governors' obstruction by allowing indefinite delays in Bill assent? Does the Union Government intend to paralyse non-BJP State Legislatures?"

Remarking that the nation stands at a critical juncture, the CM said that the questions raised in the reference reveal the BJP-led Union Government's sinister intent to distort the Constitution's basic distribution of powers and incapacitate the State Legislatures dominated by opposition parties. "Thus, it poses a clear exigent threat to State autonomy, " Stalin said, and urged all non-BJP states, in the grave circumstances, to join the legal struggle to defend the Constitution.

"We will fight this battle with all our might, " he added, concluding his message with a parting message, "Tamil Nadu will fight — and Tamil Nadu will win!"