Hours after Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on Friday opposed arrested state minister V. Senthil Balaji continuing as a member of the council of ministers as “he is facing criminal proceedings for moral turpitude and is currently in judicial custody”, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dubbed it as yet another case of “tyranny of the unelected”.
In a series of tweets, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said, “Another case of tyranny of the unelected. Tamil Nadu Governor has unilaterally remarked that an MLA can’t continue as a minister – something which is unheard of. Constitutionally, council of ministers is CM’s sole prerogative, not Governor’s.”
He said the recent events in Punjab, Delhi, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have shown that some Governors are excessively overstepping their bounds.
“In Punjab, the Governor had refused to summon the budget session of the Assembly and rejected the cabinet’s resolution to this effect. In Delhi, the L-G has consistently and systematically paralysed governance and crippled the elected government. What we are witnessing across non-BJP states is a dangerous trend. Governors are not above the law,” he said.
“The people of India elect their governments and Governors are bound by the aid and advice of the council of ministers. The tyranny of the unelected Governors must not go unchecked,” Chadha added.
His remarks came after the Tamil Nadu Governor approved the re-allocation of the portfolios of Balaji, who was arrested by the Enforcement Direcrorate (ED) in a money laundering case on Wednesday.
However, the Governor did not agree to Balaji continuing as a member of the council of ministers as “he is facing criminal proceedings for moral turpitude and is currently in judicial custody”, according to a Raj Bhavan release.
Balaji is presently admitted to a Chennai hospital following complains of heart ailment.
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