GS Paper 2
Syllabus: Issues and Challenges pertaining to the Federal Structure
Source: TH
Direction: The article discusses the recent dispute between the TN Governor and the state govt, which culminated in the Governor omitting certain sections of his customary address.
Context: There has been a dispute between the Tamil Nadu Governor and the state government recently
Background:
- The TN Assembly witnessed unprecedented scenes when the Governor while delivering his customary address to the House, omitted certain paragraphs from the text prepared by the State government.
- He left out the references to national and regional stalwarts and the phrase “Dravidian model of governance”.
- He skipped describing Tamil Nadu as “a haven of peace” – in terms of the law-and-order situation, its ability to attract foreign investments, etc.
- The CM later moved a motion to take on record only the transcript distributed to legislators, prompting the Governor to walk out of the House.
- The state government has sought the President’s intervention to ensure that the Governor acts as per Article 163 (1) [Council of Ministers to aid and advise Governor] of the Constitution.
What triggered the tussle?
- Since the Governor took office (in September 2021), the ruling party (DMK) has demanded his resignation for failing to forward a Bill to the President.
- The Assembly passed a Bill to exempt government seats in undergraduate medical and dental courses from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
- Even though the Bill is presently pending Presidential assent, other Bills are awaiting the Governor’s approval
Similar instances in the past of Governor- State government tussles:
- In Kerala, at least three Governors had skipped sections during their Assembly address since January 1969.
- In 1965, the then West Bengal Governor, annoyed by the Opposition’s interruptions, walked out of the Assembly without addressing the House.
- In 1960, then-President Rajendra Prasad made certain corrections in the printed copies of the address.
- In 1988, then President Venkataraman, changed (in his address) the expression “My government” to “The government” as the original practice was a part of the British legacy.
- Former President Pranab Mukherjee (2012-2017), did not shy away from making suggestions at the appropriate fora, but his addresses never created controversy or embarrassed the government of the day.
Governor’s address – The larger issue
[su_tale]| Meaning | Constitutional provisions | Convention | Implications of Governor deviating from the speech |
| ● It includes a review of the previous year, goals for the session and policy and legislative measures that the government intends to execute in the next year.
● It is produced and submitted to the Governor in advance by the state government. |
Article 176 (Special address by the Governor): The Governor shall address the Legislative Assembly or both Houses (in the case of a State having a Legislative Council), assembled together at the
● Commencement of the first session after each general election to the Legislative Assembly and ● Commencement of the first session of each year
Article 87: Special address by the President |
The governor must read the entire speech without alteration because it is fundamentally the message of the government, for which the governor’s office bears no responsibility. | Widens the trust deficit
May lead to a Constitutional crisis ● Governor violating Article 163. ● The state government may choose not to defend the address, thus losing the confidence of the house. |
Conclusion: According to the British constitutional law expert Ivor Jennings, the Governor can correct errors and suggest changes or revisions to the address, but the Cabinet has the final say.
Source: IE
Context: Days before the Assembly convened, the TN Governor sparked a dispute by stating his preference for the word ‘Tamizhagam’ to refer to the state rather than Tamil Nadu.
Tamizhagam or ancient TN during Sangam Age:
A short history of Tamil Nadu:
- Social activist E V Ramasamy/ Periyar (1879-1973), had started the Self-Respect Movement in 1925 to reclaim the identity and self-respect of Tamils.
- He envisaged an independent Dravida homeland of Dravida Nadu (In Tamil, Nadu means country), comprising Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada speakers.
- He launched a political party called the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) and opposed the imposition of Hindi and emphasised the need for a cultural identity of the Tamil nation.
- It was on January 14, 1969, that the Madras State was officially renamed Tamil Nadu, under the then Chief Minister CN Annadurai, who was silent on the demand for an independent Dravida Nadu.
- He instead decided to work for greater autonomy for Tamil Nadu and better cooperation among the southern states.
Insta Links:
Mains Links:
Q. Though not very useful from the point of view of a connected political history of South India, the Sangam literature portrays the social and economic conditions of its time with remarkable vividness. Comment. (UPSC 2013)
