Chennai: Tamil Nadu assembly last week readopted the 10 bills, withheld by governor R N Ravi and returned to the state government. This includes a bill adopted by the previous AIADMK regime to name the Fisheries University after late chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
The assembly unanimously passed a resolution moved by chief minister M K Stalin to reconsider the bills after the BJP and AIADMK walked out.
“The governor kept the bills for a long time and on November 13, without giving any reasons, he returned them, merely saying, ‘I withhold of assent’. This assembly feels that the governor withholding assent to the bills and returning it without giving any reasons is not acceptable,” the resolution said.
The assembly had a special sitting days after the governor returned the bills, largely empowering the state government to appoint vice-chancellors for universities.
Stalin said the governor not giving assent to bills, and other files, was illegal, anti-democratic, anti-people, anti-conscience and against the sovereignty of the legislature. The respective secretaries and the chief secretary had clarified in writing and in person whenever the governor had raised queries about the bills in the past.
“In no instance has he been denied explanations he sought. Returning some bills passed by the assembly without giving assent, based on his personal likes and dislikes, amounts to the governor insulting the people of Tamil Nadu and the assembly,” the chief minister said.
The CM said the TN government had written to the President to give appropriate instructions to the governor who had been on a path of confrontation.