TN Assembly re-adopts 10 bills returned by Governor Ravi

PTI, Nov 18, 2023, 3:53 PM IST

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Saturday re-adopted 10 Bills returned by State Governor RN Ravi recently.

The bills, covering different departments including Law, Agriculture and Higher Education, was passed by the House during a special sitting, convened in the wake of Ravi returning them on November 13.

Main opposition AIADMK and the BJP separately walked out.

Earlier, Chief Minister M K Stalin moved a resolution to take up for reconsideration, the 10 bills passed earlier by the House and returned by Ravi.

Without giving any reasons, Ravi had returned the Bills, mentioning ‘I withhold Assent’ to them, Stalin said.

While 2 bills each were adopted by the House in 2020 and 2023, six others were passed last year.

He said the House takes note that under the proviso to Article 200 of the Constitution of India, if the above said Bills are passed again and presented to the Governor for assent, he ‘shall not withhold assent therefrom.’ ‘This House resolves that under rule 143 of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly rules the following Bills may be reconsidered by this Assembly,’ the resolution moved by Stalin said.

The CM also made a stinging attack on Ravi, alleging the Governor was keen to block the government’s initiatives.

He alleged that non-BJP ruled states were being targeted through Governors, apparently by the Centre.

Stalin said if a ‘power’ that can stop the House from enacting a legislation emerges, it will severely hamper democracy and that this was his apprehension.

He noted that it was the duty of a Governor to give assent to Bills passed by a House that has an elected government.

“He can seek legal or administrative clarification from the government if required and the government has to give it,” he said, adding such clarifications have been given in the past.

“At no instances have such clarifications been not given. In such a situation, him (governor) not giving assent to the Bills passed by the Assembly due to his whims and fancies and returning them amounts to insulting the people of Tamil Nadu and this House,” Stalin said.