Stalin writes to Prez seeking action on guv, BJP hits back

Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin has written to President Droupadi Murmu against the “unconstitutional functioning” of governor R N Ravi, and accused him of “defaming” Tamil culture, indulging in “cheap politics” and stoking “communal hatred”. The chief minister, in his letter to the President on Saturday, also criticised the governor for his alleged involvement in “ideological and political conflict with the democratically elected Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and purported attempts “to topple the state government”. Sharing a copy of the letter written in Tamil, on Twitter on Sunday, Stalin said: “I have written to Hon’ble @rashtrapatibhvn apprising about the unconstitutional functioning of the Tamil Nadu Governor, his disregard for elected government and the state legislature, and overreach in state affairs. The Governor’s acts of delaying assent to bills, interfering with police investigations, and promoting divisive ideologies are a threat to democracy. I trust the Hon’ble President will take appropriate action to protect the spirit of our Constitution.” The chief minister also said that the governor’s speeches and actions were “not only obstructing the democratically elected government but also provoking disdain, contempt, and hostility towards the law of the land”. He cited a 2022 report of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister in which Tamil Nadu had scored 63.33 points as against the national average of 60.19 in the social development index. Stalin, who heads the home department, also claimed that the governor had made misleading statements of the banned two-finger test being conducted on minor girls during an investigation into alleged child marriages at the famous Chidambaram Nataraja temple. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the letter. “Can’t understand what… Stalin is complaining about when the people of the State have a lot to complain about his governance,” state BJP president K Annamalai said.