BJP Used Governors To Run Parallel State Governments

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre seeks to centralise authority and erode the rights of states in education, finance, taxation and administrative powers, said Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK president MK Stalin in an interview with Divya Chandrababu.

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He claimed that the BJP was consistently using governors to interfere in the affairs of the opposition-ruled states and that a delimitation exercise based on population is aimed at marginalising the South. Edited excerpts:

What is the political significance of your legal victory in the Supreme Court against Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi, which also set timelines for governors across the country and the President to act on bills of states?

This landmark judgment by the Supreme Court marks a defining moment in the constitutional battle for the rights of states. The court has unequivocally affirmed that the authority of the legislature—composed of the government and elected members—carries the greatest democratic legitimacy. It has ruled that a governor, occupying a nominated and ceremonial position, is constitutionally bound to give assent to a bill duly passed by the legislature.

The judgment makes it clear that withholding assent indefinitely in Raj Bhavan or unilaterally referring the bill to the President, in breach of constitutional boundaries, is unlawful. In underlining a timeframe within which the governor must act, the court upheld the majesty of our Constitution.

How is your relationship with Governor Ravi and what is your opinion on governors holding political events?

We harbour no personal animosity towards individuals such as the Governor or the Prime Minister. We continue to extend due respect to the offices they hold. However, ever since the formation of the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP has consistently used governors to interfere in the affairs of opposition-ruled states and in states where it can never hope to govern—seeking to run parallel governments through them. Raj Bhavans and universities have, in this process, been reduced to arenas where democracy is hunted down.