E-Paper
Tamil Nadu governor trying to please BJP leadership, says DMK-led alliance
In a joint statement, the state’s ruling coalition comprising a total of 10 parties, including the Congress, also hit out at the governor for “acting against the Constitution”
Tamil Nadu governor R N Ravi should step down if he wants to “express views to please the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership for a higher position”, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Secular Progressive Alliance said on Sunday.
In a joint statement, the state’s ruling coalition comprising a total of 10 parties, including the Congress, also hit out at the governor for “acting against the Constitution” and sought to know if he was expressing his views to “create unnecessary controversy” or to “draw attention towards him”.
The attack on the governor cameover remarks he made on several occasions over sanatan dharma, Thirukkural and colonialism. It also came two days after the governor attacked the state government over the October 23 Coimbatore blast and the alleged delay in transferring the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
“His (Ravi’s) speeches are given importance since he is the governor of the state. If he is expressing views to please the BJP leadership to get a higher position for himself, he should quit the governor’s post,” the coalition parties said in a joint statement.
“He should not express such views so long as he remains the governor of the state,” it added.
The coalition parties, in the statement, said the governor’s views on sanatan dharma, Dravidam, Schedule Castes and Tirukkural are “dangerous”.
They also criticised the governor for arguing in favour of one religion. “As per the Constitution, the country is secular. But the governor argues in favour of one religion,” the statement said.
“We do not have issues with him if he speaks about his personal spiritual beliefs. But it is not right on his part to express conservative and poisonous ideas while holding a Constitutional post,” the statement added.
The governor has been expressing controversial views since he assumed office, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), part of the ruling alliance, said. “It is not clear whether he is doing it to create unnecessary controversy and confusion or he wants to draw attention towards himself,” the VCK said.
The parties also hit out at the governor for “speaking against the Constitution”. “Does he know that he is acting against the oath he had taken as the governor of the state?” they said.
Both the state government and governor have been locked in a standoff over various issues for quite some time. The relationship between the two sides soured in February last year after the former returned the bill against National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) – seeking exemption for the state from the test – stating it is “against interests of the students, specially the rural and economically poor students of the state”.
In February this year, all parties, barring the BJP, unanimously passed the bill again. The governor forwarded the same for the President’s assent.
Besides the NEET, the governor has extended its support to the National Education Policy (NEP), which has been opposed by the DMK.
Earlier this month, the governor asserted that the concept of Dravidian covers the people of southern states but it has now become a Tamil identity due to politics of division. The DMK dismissed the remark as coming “from a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh man” and not from one holding a gubernatorial position.
Relations between the two sides touched a new low on Friday after the governor called the Coimbatore blast a “terrorist incident” and questioned why chief minister M K Stalin took four days to transfer the case to the NIA.
