Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday supported his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin’s decision to pass a resolution in state assembly on April 10 urging Centre and the President to fix a time limit for Governors to approve the bill passed by legislature.
Two days back Stalin had written to Vijayan requesting the Kerala assembly to pass such a resolution to uphold values of federal system of governance. The Kerala CM sent a reply to him fully supporting the move. “As defenders of federal spirit of our constitution, we have to co-operate in every effort to prevent curtailing the functioning of elected governments,” Vijayan said in his letter giving enough hints that Kerala will follow suit.
Like Tamil Nadu, Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan is also sitting over some bills passed by the assembly like the bill to remove him from the post of chancellor of universities and curtail powers of Lokayukta were pending before in Raj Bhawan for more than two months. Several bills were waiting for Governor RN Ravi’s approval in Tamil Nadu as well.
In the letter Stalin said his government took several efforts to clarify doubts of the governor on the bills sent by the assembly after approval. “As our efforts failed, we came to know that many other states have similar issues. So we deemed fit to pass a resolution in this regard,” he said emphasising the need for opposition-ruled states to come together to find a solution to the nagging issue. In reply, the Kerala chief minister has assured “whole hearted support” to his TN counterpart.
{{/usCountry}}In the letter Stalin said his government took several efforts to clarify doubts of the governor on the bills sent by the assembly after approval. “As our efforts failed, we came to know that many other states have similar issues. So we deemed fit to pass a resolution in this regard,” he said emphasising the need for opposition-ruled states to come together to find a solution to the nagging issue. In reply, the Kerala chief minister has assured “whole hearted support” to his TN counterpart.
{{/usCountry}}In Kerala the governor and state government have been at loggerheads for more two years and both utilised every opportunity to criticise each other. Tussle between the two aggravated last year after Khan asked 11 vice-chancellors to resign after the Supreme Court quashed the appointment of the VC of Kerala Technical University MS Rajashree for flouting University Grants Commission guidelines. At present the issue is before the high court.