TN governor's U-turn 'more insidious' than minister's 'illegal sacking': Congress
What's the story
Congress leader Manish Tewari on Saturday said Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi's decision to hold back state minister V Senthil Balaji's dismissal from the cabinet was "more insidious" than his "illegal sacking." His statement came two days after Ravi dismissed Balaji on corruption charges but paused his order within five hours. The incident led to a full-on government versus governor war in the state.
Statement
Tewari demands Ravi's dismissal by president
In a tweet, Tewari also asked why the governor was taking legal advice from the attorney general instead of the advocate general. Notably, an advocate general is the highest law officer in a state, and an attorney general is the highest law officer in the country. On Friday, Tewari also demanded Ravi's dismissal by President Droupadi Murmu for his "unconstitutional" action.
Twitter Post
Check out Tewari's Twitter post
This letter by @rajbhavan_tn is more insidious than illegal sacking of Minister.
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) July 1, 2023
Article 165 of COI confers Constitutional status on Advocate General akin to Attorney General -Article 76.
Why not take legal Advise from Advocate General?
Governor’s cause Constitutional breakdowns pic.twitter.com/40S67AIK31
U-turn
Governor's explanation for his U-turn
In a letter to Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin on Thursday, Ravi explained his U-turn on the order. "I have been advised by the Union minister of home affairs that it would be prudent to seek the opinion of the attorney general also," he stated. His move came weeks after Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged cash-for-jobs scam case.
Stalin's response
Governor has no powers: Stalin
Reacting to the governor's order, Stalin said the matter was not discussed with him beforehand. He also decided to proceed legally with the issue. Disregarding Ravi's decision, Stalin said, "The governor has no powers. We will face this legally." Moreover, Stalin made it clear that Balaji would continue as a minister without a portfolio even if he was dismissed.
BJP
BJP reminds Stalin of similar dismissal request in 2018
Following the chaos, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief for Tamil Nadu, K Annamalai, issued a statement, saying his party would reserve its comments on the dismissal of Balaji. However, Annamalai also reminded Stalin that as an opposition leader in 2018, he wanted the governor to sack a minister as well. "What has changed between then and now?" he asked.
Twitter Post
Here's Annamalai's tweet
BJP Tamil Nadu, for now, reserves its comments on the dismissal of Cash for Job Scam Thiru Senthil Balaji from the council of ministers by the Hon Governor of TN.
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) June 30, 2023
However, we want to remind TN CM Thiru @mkstalin of his doublespeak.
In 2018, the then-opposition leader demanded… pic.twitter.com/AfJ3GF6QY3
Background
ED arrested Balaji on June 14
To recall, the ED raided Balaji's premises in Chennai, Karur, and Erode on June 13. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader was then questioned for 18 hours straight and arrested by the probe agency on money laundering charges on June 14. However, he was retained as a minister without portfolio by Stalin, a decision that the governor had decided to override unilaterally.