What is the issue?
- Tamil Nadu Governor recently had a meeting with government officials in Coimbatore to directly review various programs.
- This is perceived as an interventionist over-reach.
What are the conventional provisions?
- The Governor of a State isn’t expected to review the work of government officials personally, when an elected regime is in place.
- Article 167 of the Constitution says that - CM’s has to keep the Governor updated on all major government decisions in both executive & legislative domain.
- Additionally, CM is also required to furnish any specific administration related information if the Governor demands.
- There may be occasions when the Governor may ask a top bureaucrat or a police officer for a report.
- But such an action should be rarely resorted to and it should be for some specific purpose of importance.
What fuels suspicions?
- The political context in which the governor is exhibiting his zeal to familiarise himself with the administration is significant.
- The government’s majority in the Assembly is in doubt, after the disqualification of 18 dissident MLAs.
- Notably, an impression that the state government is currently being armtwisted by the center is prevalent.
- The prospect of the State coming under a spell of President’s Rule is also very real.
What is the way forward?
- The Governor can indeed work independently within the boundaries of his constitutional mandate.
- But he needs to ensure that his functioning should be within the bounds of established norms and conventions.
Source: The Hindu
