Nothing illegal or unconstitutional in Governor meeting district officials: Raj Bhavan
Terming the criticism from opposition parties as absolutely wrong, false and based on figment of imagination that he was acting at the behest of the Centre, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has asserted that there was nothing illegal or unconstitutional in his recent meeting with district officials in Coimbatore.
By : migrator
Update: 2017-11-21 06:55 GMT
Chennai
A Raj Bhavan release issued last night by the Governor's Principal Secretary reiterated that Mr Purohit "will continue such efforts in Tamil Nadu" to fulfill his responsibilities.
It said "while certain sections of the society in Tamil Nadu found this effort as something that is to be welcomed, while others found the action of the Governor as not in conformity with the Constitutional provisions and conventions".
"Those who did not appreciate the Governor's action felt that he was stepping beyond the constitutional limits within which a Governor is supposed to act", it said.
Recalling the Governor's statement after he took oath of office that he would act in complete consonance with the Constitution and its provisions, it said the Governor had also stated that his actions would be guided by the Constitution and that he would preserve and protect the Constitution.
"All the decisions, which he would be taking, small or big, there would be no political considerations and they would be on merit and added that he would wholeheartedly support the state government as far as development activities were concerned and would see to it that a lot of development takes place and more funds are provided to Tamil Nadu", it said.
"At no place does the Constitution stop the Governor from seeking any such meeting. The purpose in seeking such meetings is not to subvert the authority of the State government, but to support its efforts in good governance", the release said.
"In our Constitution, there is no bar on the Governor's action in seeking an appropriate connect with the people of the State to be in their service and enhance their well being", it said.
The release said the Governor had sought legal opinion from "one of the leading legal experts" on his actions, and based on the detailed inputs, he concluded that his actions were not unconstitutional.
It also rejected criticisms that the Governor had a political agenda and was acting at the behest of the Central government, given the current political context in which Tamil Nadu finds itself.
"This part of the criticism is absolutely wrong and false and based on the figment of imagination," the release said.
Insisting that the Governor's actions would be guided by the Constitution sans political consideration, it said there was no attempt to short-circuit the official channels or force a meeting and everything was done according to norms.
The meeting with Coimbatore officials gave the Governor a good idea of the status of various welfare and developmental schemes in the district.
Even during his previous tenure in Assam, the Governor had conducted similar meetings and had not violated any provisions of the Constitution.
"In fact, the meetings helped him "in getting first-hand knowledge of the developmental needs and problems faced by the people at the grass root level," the release said.
"Mr. Purohit will continue such efforts in Tamil Nadu also to fulfill his responsibilities as envisaged in the oath he has taken to devote himself in the service and well-being of the people of Tamil Nadu," it said.
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