In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin defended retaining Minister Senthil Balaji in the cabinet after his portfolios were reallocated. He also stated that the Governor’s post was “redundant” and accused the Union government of using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to “settle scores”. Here are the four things he said about Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi in the backdrop of the face-off between himself and the Governor over Senthil Balaji’s retention in the cabinet:
The Chief Minister did not comment on whether Governor RN Ravi was acting on the instructions of the Union government. However, he warned that the Union government must rein in RN Ravi, failing which it would face the wrath of the people of Tamil Nadu.
When asked about the double standards seen in his determination to retain a minister who was facing serious charges in contrast to his demand during the Edapadi Palanisamy rule to the then Governor to arrest ‘corrupt’ All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) ministers, Stalin said that it was only a “political measure,” implying he had not expected any action but was only scoring a point. He went on to say that he did not want RN Ravi to become a politician, alleging that the Governor was acting as a BJP leader in targeting Senthil Balaji.
Commenting on the discourse that Senthil Balaji should have been removed from the cabinet on moral grounds, Stalin drew attention to former AIADMK Chief Minister Jayalalithaa who served in her post till she was convicted. He also said that there were several BJP MLAs who had criminal cases against them, and said that moral ground could not be selective and applied to one party alone.
Referring to the Governor, when Stalin was asked if the two would be able to work in tandem and whether he would support the demands for Ravi’s recall, he replied saying that he was of the opinion that there was no need to have a Governor at all.