After Minister V Senthil Balaji was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday, the Tamil Nadu government criticized Governor R N Ravi for returning the documentation relating to the reallocation of ministries.
After Minister V Senthil Balaji was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday, the Tamil Nadu government criticized Governor R N Ravi for returning the documentation relating to the reallocation of ministries.
Rejecting Senthil Balaji’s File
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin suggested to the Governor that the portfolios of electricity and prohibition, held by Balaji, be transferred to Ministers Thangam Thennarasu and S. Muthusamy; however, Ravi had not accepted the suggestion, according to state Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudi.
According to the constitution, the Chief Minister, not the Governor, has the authority to select the ministers for each ministry and to add or remove them from the council of ministers.
- TN government criticizes Governor Ravi for rescinding minister reallocation document.
- Stalin suggested Balaji transfer electricity and prohibition portfolios; Ravi rejected it.
- Governor’s reallocation of portfolio influenced by BJP-led government, CM advised.
The Governor requested in a letter to the CM on May 31 to remove Senthil Balaji, and Stalin responded in great detail the very following day.
“The Governor, who ought to be familiar with the constitution, should have followed the CM’s advice about the reallocation of the portfolio. However, the Governor is functioning like a representative of the BJP-led government in the Centre, according to Ponmudi.
“A minister cannot be fired merely because he is involved in a legal matter. Was Amit Shah, the home minister, fired because he was involved in a case as a state minister? Ponmudi enquired and noted that many AIADMK ministers who had legal issues in the past had not been fired.
