Will fight for legislation on guvs' assent: Stalin

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Tamil Nadu government will not rest until the Constitution is amended to fix timelines for governors to clear bills, chief minister MK Stalin said on Friday, a day after a five-judge Constitution bench ruled that governors and the President cannot be bound by judicially imposed timelines in granting assent to state legislation.

- Divya Chandrababu

"Our fight for state rights and true federalism will continue... I have promises to keep, and until our people's will in Tamil Nadu is fulfilled through legislation, we will ensure that every constitutional apparatus functions in this country in accordance with the Constitution," Stalin said.

The development comes amid prolonged tensions between the DMK-led TN government and governor RN Ravi, who had withheld assent to several state bills — some for over two years — and later forwarded 10 of them to the President after the assembly reenacted them. The state had moved the Supreme Court earlier this year.