Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi met Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday, December 30 at Raj Bhavan and discussed several issues over a 40-minute meeting. The meeting came after the Supreme Court suggested that the two meet to resolve the issues, as the matter of pending bills has reached the SC.
A release by the CM’s Office (CMO) stated that the CM advised the Governor to act according to the Constitution for the welfare of the state and its people. While the state government said that the CM urged the Governor to assent to the 10 important bills that were “unnecessarily sent to the President,” the Raj Bhavan maintained that the meeting was cordial and that he “underscored the need and advantage of periodic meetings” between them for the larger interest of the state.
The release from the CMO said that accepting an invitation by the Governor, the CM, along with Ministers Duraimurugan, Thangam Thennarasu, S Reguathy, SR Rajakannappan and Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena, met the Governor.
“During the meeting, the Chief Minister urged the Governor to expedite his assent to the various bills pending with him for several months. Similarly, the Chief Minister asked the Governor to recall the 10 important Bills – passed by the state Assembly for the second time – that were sent to the President unnecessarily, and to provide his assent,” the release read.
The Supreme Court, on November 10, pulled up the Governor for the inordinate delay in giving assent to bills passed by the Assembly, and called it a “matter of serious concern.” Following this, Ravi returned all the bills to the Assembly on November 13. However, the Tamil Nadu government called a special Assembly session on November 18 and passed the bills once again, following which the Governor sent the Bills to the President. To this, the SC orally remarked that the Governor cannot send bills for the President’s assent after the Assembly House re-enacts them if the Governor had previously withheld them.
Read: SC pulls up TN Governor for sending bills to President after withholding assent.
Further, the CM also sought the Governor to sanction the prosecution of former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) ministers MR Vijayabaskar and KC Veeramani in cases by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC). The release said that the CM pointed out the fact that the approval for Veeramani’s case is pending for 15 months and that of Vijayabaskar for seven months. The CM also sought clearance of the files regarding the appointment of members of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission which has been pending for a long time.
“The CM, in general, urged the Governor to act as per the provisions of the Constitution, in order for his actions to be beneficial to the welfare of the people and the administration,” the statement from the CMO said.
The Raj Bhavan, in its release, said that the meeting was cordial, and they discussed several issues concerning the state. “The meeting was cordial. The Governor of Tamil Nadu and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu exchanged courtesies, discussed and exchanged their views on a range of issues concerning the State. The Governor reiterated his total commitment to the good of the people of Tamil Nadu. He also assured his continuing support to the State Government within the bounds of the Constitution of India. The Governor underscored the need and advantage of periodic meetings with the Chief Minister to the larger interest of the State.”