Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar’s refusal to invite Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay to form the government is “utterly untenable” and unconstitutional, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby told TNM on Thursday, May 7.
Baby reiterated that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) remained firmly within the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led alliance and dismissed speculation about any immediate political realignment. “We are still firmly part of the DMK-led alliance where we won two seats,” he said.
CPI(M) leaders met DMK president and outgoing chief minister MK Stalin earlier on Thursday. Another round of consultations involving Left parties is expected to be held in Chennai on Friday.
“Our leaders held a meeting with [Stalin] today. We have another meeting convened in Chennai tomorrow where we will consult other Left parties as well as MK Stalin and take a decision,” Baby said.
He added that constitutional convention required the Governor to first swear in the leader of the single largest party and allow reasonable time to prove majority support on the floor of the House.
“The governor has to swear in the leader of the single largest party and give him reasonable time to prove his majority. In May 1996, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was given 13 days and eventually his government fell,” Baby told TNM.
Referring to the current political situation in Tamil Nadu, Baby said the Governor’s refusal to permit swearing-in could not be justified, particularly when no rival alliance has formally staked claim to form the government.
“Governor Arlekar’s decision to not allow swearing in is utterly untenable, wrong and we (CPI(M)) are opposed to it,” he said.
“This becomes even more important as no other party or coalition has come forward staking the claim to form the government,” he added.
The remarks come amid an intensifying political standoff after the Assembly election resulted in a hung Assembly. TVK emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats, but remained short of the majority mark in the 234-seat Assembly.
Vijay met Governor Arlekar twice on May 6 to stake claim to form the government. According to sources, the actor-politician held a nearly 40-minute one-on-one meeting with the Governor after an earlier meeting attended by senior TVK leaders N Anand, Sengottaiyan, and Aadhav Arjuna.
However, the Governor reportedly informed Vijay that TVK had not yet demonstrated the numbers required to form the government.
The CPI too issued a statement from Chennai, arguing that the Governor was constitutionally bound to invite the single largest party and allow it to prove majority on the Assembly floor, citing the Supreme Court’s SR Bommai judgement and other precedents limiting gubernatorial discretion.
