President should immediately remove Guv RN Ravi: Manish Tewari

NEW DELHI: Former Union minister and Congress leader Manish Tewari on Friday slammed Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi over his move to pass a contentious order, announcing the dismissal of Minister V Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers without consulting Chief Minister MK Stalin.

This comes after Tamil Nadu Governor has decided to keep the dismissal order of the jailed DMK leader and state minister V Senthil Balaji in abeyance for the time being.

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"Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi keeps the dismissal order of Minister V Senthil Balaji in abeyance. He will take the advice of the Attorney General on this matter," sources said.

Talking to ANI, Tewari said, "President should immediately remove Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi. The Governor who does not know his limits. He should not have taken such an unconstitutional step. This clearly shows that he does not have knowledge of the Constitution and is unaware of his responsibilities".

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Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said that the state government would challenge the governor's decision legally. Speaking to reporters, Stalin said, "Governor doesn't have the right (to dismiss a sitting minister) and we will face this legally."

In an official release, Raj Bhavan said,"Minister V Senthil Balaji is facing serious criminal proceedings in a number of corruption cases including taking cash for jobs and money laundering...Under these circumstances, Governor has dismissed him from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect."

Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on June 14 in a cash-for-jobs scam. He was later admitted to a government hospital in Chennai after he complained of chest pains. He was allowed by the Madras High Court on June 15 to be shifted to a private hospital of his choice.