Posters reading ‘GetOutRavi’ are pasted on a wall on January 10, 2023, a day after Governor RN Ravi walked out of the state assembly. Photo Credit: PTI
the story So Far: The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly witnessed an unprecedented scene on January 9 when Governor RN Ravi, in his traditional address to the house, some paragraphs omitted From the text prepared by the State Govt. Later Chief Minister MK Stalin made a proposal Transcript distributed only to legislators to take on record, encouraging Governor’s Walkout Of the house
What has been the reaction?
Mr. Ravi did not wait for Mr. Stalin to finish reciting his motion to walk out. Since then there has been no respite from the political discourse on the relationship between the Governor and the Chief Minister. While the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), its allies and a section of jurists, have been critical of Mr Ravi’s actions in omitting certain paragraphs from the state government-prepared text and subsequent walkout, AIADMK and BJP have defended the governor saying that the events in the House constituted a “personal attack” on him. Both sides claim that the conventions of the assembly have been violated. On 12 January, Law Minister S. A delegation of Tamil Nadu government representatives, including Raghupathi, met President Draupadi Murmu in Delhi and handed over Mr. Stalin’s letter, in which sought his intervention to ensure that the Governor acts as per Article 163(1) [Council of Ministers to aid and advise Governor] of the constitution. The same day, in Chennai, Sri Ravi organized an event at the Raj Bhavan to mark the Pongal festival, which was Boycotted by the ruling DMK and its allies,
What led to the confrontation?
In the four months since Mr. Ravi takes over in September 2021, the DMK Parliamentary Party Leader TR Balu asked for resignation For not forwarding a bill passed by the assembly to exempt government seats in undergraduate medical and dental courses from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) to the then President Ram Nath Kovind. Even though the law now awaits the President’s assent, there are Several other Bills awaiting Governor’s assent, Tamil Nadu Online Gambling Prohibition and Regulation of Online Games BillAlso on the waiting list, was approved as an ordinance by Mr. Ravi on October 1, 2022. A few days before the commencement of the proceedings of the Assembly, the Governor started a debate expressing his point of view. Preference for the word ‘Tamizhgam’ To refer to the state instead of Tamil Nadu.
What did Mr. Ravi leave out in his address?
he References to national and regional giants omitted, and the phrase “Dravidian model of governance”, which came into vogue after the DMK returned to power in May 2021. He left off describing Tamil Nadu as a “paradise of peace” in terms of law and order situation; Its ability to attract “many foreign investments” and to “be a leader in all sectors”. According to Mr. Stalin, the text of the address was approved by him before its distribution to the members.
How many times has Tamil Nadu faced such a situation?
This was the first time that a governor chose to omit certain articles. even when Relations between Governor M. Channa Reddy and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa At the lowest level during 1993-95, nothing of this sort happened. However, in neighboring Kerala, at least three governors have omitted sections during their assembly addresses since January 1969.
Editorial | The Bad and the Ugly: On Tamil Nadu Governor’s Exit from the Assembly
Although the walkout by a Governor is a first for Tamil Nadu, in February 1965, the then Governor of West Bengal, Padmaja Naidu, walked out of the Assembly, angered by opposition disruptions, without addressing the House.
Which big constitutional issues are being discussed?
The issue of deviation from the prepared text was immediately raised. Speaking to the media after the Governor’s walkout, Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu spoke on the issue of presidents reading material prepared by the Centre.
On February 8, 1960, the then President Rajendra Prasad made some corrections in the printed copies of the Hindi and English versions of the address received at the Lok Sabha Secretariat an hour before the commencement of his address to both Houses of Parliament. , According to Practice and Procedure of Parliament By MN Kaul and SL Shakdhar.
in his my presidential yearFormer President R.K. Venkataraman noted that when he delivered his address to both Houses of Parliament on 22 February 1988, he changed the expression “my government” to “the government”. The original practice was a part of the British heritage. Otherwise, he explained that “since the whole address is a statement of the policies and programs of the government, I have left it to the government to present it in the form and manner it likes.”
one of his successors, Pranab Mukherjeein his President Years 2012-2017Venkataraman’s position on the substance that went into the address and went on to state that he had “followed the rulebook and conventions both in letter and spirit.”
He did not shy away from making suggestions at appropriate forums, but that “there was not a single occasion in my five years as President when my speeches created controversy or embarrassed the government of the day.”
Was it correct to pass the resolution of the Assembly after the Governor’s address?
An issue arose as to whether any other business could be transacted immediately after the Governor’s address. According to the interpretation of Kaul and Shakdhar, the proceedings relating to the Governor’s address cannot be called a meeting of the Legislative Assembly. This is because Rule 17 of the Rules of the House deals with the observance of the Order before, after and during the Address. However, there is a precedent for other proceedings taking place on the day of the Governor’s address. Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly adopted a bill on January 23, 2017 jallikattu After the meeting in the evening, the then Governor Vidyasagar Rao addressed the House in the morning. Notwithstanding the precedent, Mr. Thennarasu said that it was Mr. Ravi who had created such a situation. Presenting the proposal, the Chief Minister mentioned the exemption in Rule 17 of the Legislative Assembly Rules.