Stressing that India’s strength lies in its diversity, Leader of Opposition (LOP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the BJP-led NDA government of “misusing” Governors to stifle states’ voices and obstruct elected governments.
In a post on X, Gandhi termed this a dangerous assault on federalism and it must be resisted.
“India’s strength lies in its diversity — a Union of States, each with its own voice. The Modi government is misusing Governors to stifle those voices and obstruct elected state governments,” Gandhi said on X while reposting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s post.
“This is a dangerous assault on federalism and it must be resisted,” he added.
The Congress leader was reacting to post on X by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on May 15. Stalin had “strongly” condemned the Union Government’s Presidential reference, which, according to him, attempts to subvert the Constitutional position already settled by the Supreme Court in the Tamil Nadu Governor’s case and other precedents.
“This attempt clearly exposes the fact that the Tamil Nadu Governor acted at the BJP’s behest to undermine the people’s mandate,” the Tamil Nadu CM said.
He further said that this is nothing but a desperate attempt to weaken democratically elected State Governments by placing them under the control of Governors serving as agents of the Union Government. “It also directly challenges the majesty of law and the authority of the Supreme Court as the final interpreter of the Constitution,” he added.
“Why should there be any objection to prescribing time limits for Governors to act? Is the BJP seeking to legitimise its Governors’ obstruction by allowing indefinite delays in Bill assent? Does the Union Government intend to paralyse non-BJP State Legislatures?” the Tamil NAdu CM questioned.
“Our nation stands at a critical juncture. The questions raised in the reference reveal the BJP-led Union Government’s sinister intent to distort the Constitution’s basic distribution of powers and incapacitate the State Legislatures dominated by opposition parties. Thus, it poses a clear exigent threat to State autonomy,” the DMK Chief added.
He further urged all non-BJP States and party leaders to join this legal struggle to defend the Constitution.
This comes after, in a firm rebuttal to the Supreme Court’s April 8 verdict, which imposed deadlines on the Governor and the President for deciding on state Bills in the Tamil Nadu government versus Governor case, President Droupadi Murmu questioned the validity of such a ruling, emphasising that the Constitution does not prescribe any such time frames. (ANI)
