New Delhi: Several English-language dailies on Wednesday (January 11) weighed in on the ongoing tensions between the Tamil Nadu government and state governor R.N. Ravi, questioning the governor’s recent actions in their editorials.
The Tamil Nadu governor has openly gone against the state government in various ways recently – perhaps most significantly by not reading out the version of the governor’s speech in the state assembly that had been agreed upon by his office and the chief minister’s office.
‘Exceeded his powers and failed in his responsibilities’
Deccan Herald came down strongly against Ravi’s actions, stating:
“Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi has exceeded his powers and failed in his responsibilities with his conduct in the state Assembly on the first day of the current session of the House. The Governor not only refused to read some parts of the customary address at the beginning of the session but introduced some of his own words into it. He also walked out of the House after the Assembly passed a resolution to put on record only the original speech that was prepared by the state government. Governors do not have any power to add to or detract from the speech, which lays down the views and policies of the state government. The rules are clear on this, and it has been the precedent, with rare violations which have been held as wrong and unacceptable. Ravi has unprecedentedly added some words of his own to the speech, which is egregiously wrong.”
The newspaper also put this recent tussle in the context of how governors have been behaving in non-BJP-ruled states, arguing that this is dangerous for federalism as it disempowers state government and goes against constitutional values:
” It is as if they are competing with one another, driven by a sense of competitive loyalism to the central government. Some of them may be goaded by personal ambitions and others by their political and ideological affinity with the ruling party at the Centre. Some of them, including Ravi, have refused to sign legislations passed by state Assemblies, and have talked and acted in the most unreasonable manner. They are doing great harm to federalism, which is an essential feature of the polity. It should be noted that the Governors of BJP-ruled states have no problems with their governments.”
‘Role of governor needs an overhaul’
The Hindu summarised the dramatic assembly events and noted that while governors had deviated slightly from prepared speeches in the past, the difference was also that chief minister M.K. Stalin immediately took note of the changes and insisted that the original speech be passed as a resolution. There was no reason, the editorial says, for Ravi to walk out just because Stalin made these observations:
“As soon as he realised the import of Mr. Stalin’s speech in Tamil, Mr. Ravi walked out, apparently treating the move to adopt the resolution as an affront. The Governor need not have reacted in such a manner, as there is no reason why a deviation from convention on the Governor’s part should not be met with an immediate response that was also a deviation from convention. “
Constitutional authorities, The Hindu noted, should not behave in this confrontational manner. The governor must be aware of his responsibilities, and give up a “sense of overlordship”:
“The events highlight the consequences of a confrontationist attitude on the part of constitutional functionaries. Future confrontations can be avoided if the Governor gives up his penchant for making politically loaded remarks and is heedful of the State’s political sensibilities. In the longer term, the role of the Governor in the country’s constitutional scheme needs a thorough overhaul, so that incumbents in Raj Bhavan give up their sense of overlordship and focus on their core constitutional functions such as granting assent to Bills.”
‘Violating constitutional spirit’
The Times of India argued that Ravi’s decision to walk out of the state assembly was “over the top”, as was his decision to send out Pongal invites that did not include the state’s official name. “All this is however in the realm of theatrics. The really substantive issue is the governor sitting on bills passed by the legislature,” the editorial noted.
Pending Bills, the editorial stated, is a problem that even the Supreme Court cannot be expected to deal with:
“While the Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that legislative power of governors is extremely limited and that governors are bound by the aid and advice of the cabinet, there is constitutional and judicial silence on how long a governor can keep a bill pending. But no Constitution can be expected to provide answers for every scenario cropping up and holders of constitutional positions must perform their duties with responsibility, avoiding reckless confrontation.
…The governor usurping the agency of the legislature and council of ministers and playing judge is simply not on. The breakdown of the governor-cabinet relationship in many opposition-ruled states is unfortunate. The governor is a key intermediary in the Centre-state relationship. The Constitution gives Parliament and the Union government the upper hand when laws of the state clash with those of the Centre. Maintaining this status quo doesn’t require governors to overplay their hand. Ravi, as ex-police and IB, must show more administrative wisdom.”
‘Ravi’s conduct hurts his constitutional office’
The Indian Express criticised Ravi for behaving in ways that did not become the office he holds, while also stating that his actions may in fact backfire against the Bharatiya Janata Party:
“The Union government bears no direct responsibility for the actions of the governor appointed by it. But the current developments may end up strengthening anti-Centre sentiments in Tamil Nadu, ironically at a time when the Prime Minister and his party have been trying to reach out to the state, arguably in a bid to assuage anxieties about the BJP’s Hindi-Hindutva push. PM Modi inaugurated a month-long Kashi Tamil Sangamam in his constituency in November last year, essentially an attempt to build on the Hindu traditions that the north and south share with Varanasi at the centre. The programme involved people-to-people interactions as well as cultural initiatives placing Tamil culture and traditions in a broader pan-Indian canvas. Ravi’s conduct hurts his constitutional office. It also strikes a discordant note in the backdrop of the BJP’s efforts to expand its political footprint in Tamil Nadu.”