A political row has erupted in Tamil Nadu after Governor RN Ravi wrote to the DMK-led government in the state seeking details of the welfare schemes and on the various welfare departments in the state. A report in The Hindu said that Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu has written to the departments and has requested the preparation of powerpoint presentations to be shown to the Governor. The powerpoint is also to be discussed before being prepared, the letter stated.
“The Governor of Tamil Nadu wishes to know about the functioning of certain departments in the State and ongoing welfare schemes of the State as well as the Union Government,” the Chief Secretary said in his letter, The Hindu reported.
This has not gone down too well with the Congress, an ally of the state government, who has asked what the locus standi of the Governor is to be asking details of the government’s schemes. In a series of tweets, President of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee KS Alagiri called the letter shocking, and pointed out that the Governor cannot take any action directly, and can only act on the advice of the Cabinet.
“The Governor has no right to oversee or interfere with the plans and departments of the Government of Tamil Nadu,” KS Alagiri tweeted in Tamil, saying that the Governor’s letter is against the recommendations of the 1968 Administrative Reforms Commission, the 1969 Rajamannar Committee and the 1968 Sarkaria Commission. “It is an outrageous act,” KS Alagiri added.
After the Congress alleged interference by the Governor, the Chief Secretary issued a statement, saying that it was only routine for the Governor to seek details about the schemes in the state and that this issue was unnecessarily politicised.
“It is customary for a newly-appointed Governor to learn about the schemes and development projects that are implemented in the state. His letter to secretaries was based on the same. It is not fair to politicise this issue, those who are aware of the administrative process should be aware of this procedure,” read a statement issued by Chief Secretary Irai Anbu.