In his reply to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s letter, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, on Saturday, April 15, said that it is a fact that democracy in India is “suffering from blows every single day” and that every tenet of India’s Constitution stands compromised. Kejriwal was replying to a letter written by Stalin, on April 12, to non-BJP Chief Ministers across India urging them to pass a resolution stating that Governors should be provided a time frame within which they must approve bills passed by state legislatures. 

As deaths due to online gambling is increasing in the state, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (TNLA) had seeked the approval of Governor R. N. Ravi on “Bill to Ban Online Rummy”. The delay of approving this bill along with others urged Chief Minister M K Stalin to write the letter. 

“It is also beyond doubt that our federal structure, which enfranchised people in the most remote corners, is in grave danger from forces that seek to illegitimately centralise all power,” said Kejriwal.

He goes on to add that the country's federal polity and clearly laid out roles and responsibilities of the Union and state governments in the Constitution have resulted in a united nation and a cohesive society "despite all apprehensions of fragmentation that arose when we achieved independence from colonial rule." 

Voicing his appreciation for the Tamil Nadu Legislative assembly for “taking a firm stand against centralising tendencies” by passing a resolution to provide a fixed time period to Governors to pass bills, the Delhi CM said that he will table a similar resolution in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha.

M K Stalin took to Twitter to thank Kejriwal for his support and replied, “Indeed, the sovereignty of the legislature is supreme in any democracy. No 'appointed' Governor shall undermine the legislative power & responsibilities of 'elected' Governments.”

The clash between Governor R. N. Ravi and the Tamil Nadu Government is becoming more frequent due to differences in ideology in the recent past. The clashes, however, are getting more public such as the ‘Tamizhagam’ row and the Governor walking out of the Legislative Assembly in the middle of the Chief Minister’s speech.