Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin condemns Presidential reference on SC deadline to bills

CHENNAI: A day after President Droupadi Murmu reacted sharply to the Supreme Court fixing deadlines for President and governors for giving assent to bills and sought the SC’s view on 14 questions, Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin reacted strongly on X, raising his own set of questions.The CM said, “I strongly condemn the Union govt’s Presidential reference, which attempts to subvert the Constitutional position already settled by the Supreme Court in the Tamil Nadu governor’s case and other precedents. This attempt clearly exposes the fact that the Tamil Nadu governor acted at the BJP’s behest to undermine the people’s mandate.” He alleged it undermined the Constitution and state autonomy.President Droupadi Murmu’s reference, made under Article 143 (1) of the Constitution, includes 14 questions for the Supreme Court. These questions seek the court's opinion on the assent of bills passed by state legislatures. Stalin said on X, “This attempt clearly exposes the fact that the Tamil Nadu governor acted at the BJP’s behest to undermine the people’s mandate.”According to Stalin, this action is a desperate attempt to weaken democratically elected state govts. He said, “Union govt is trying to place these govts under the control of governors, who serve as agents of Union govt.” Stalin said the move directly challenged the majesty of law and the authority of the Supreme Court as the final interpreter of the Constitution.Stalin posed a series of questions regarding the Union govt’s intentions. “Why should there be any objection to prescribing time limits for governors to act? Is the BJP seeking to legitimise its governors’ obstruction by allowing indefinite delays in Bill assent? Does the Union Government intend to paralyse non-BJP State Legislatures?” he said.The chief minister emphasised the critical juncture the nation is facing. He said the questions raised by President Murmu reveal the BJP-led Union govt’s “sinister intent” to distort the Constitution’s basic distribution of powers and incapacitate the legislatures dominated by opposition parties. “Thus, it poses a clear exigent threat to State autonomy,” he alleged.Stalin has called upon all the non-BJP governed states and party leaders “to unite in this legal struggle, urging them to defend the Constitution under these grave circumstances”. The chief minister affirmed his govt’s commitment to fighting the issue, saying, “Tamil Nadu will fight — and Tamil Nadu will win.”