TN CM Stalin calls for constitutional amendment to scrap Guv’s address in state assemblies
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said on Thursday that the DMK would consult like-minded opposition parties across the country to move a constitutional amendment abolishing the practice of the Governor’s address at the start of the first session of state Assemblies.
Reacting to a series of recent confrontations between the Governors and elected governments in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, CM Stalin accused the Governors of acting as “party agents” and deliberately undermining federal principles.
In a strongly worded post on social media platform X, he said the pattern of events across states left no room for doubt.
“First Tamil Nadu. Then Kerala. Now Karnataka. The pattern is clear and deliberate. Governors refusing to read the speech prepared by state governments and behaving like party agents, undermining duly elected governments,” CM Stalin wrote.
He added that the practice of commencing the first Assembly session with the Governor’s address had become “obsolete and irrelevant” and should be abolished through a constitutional amendment.
The Chief Minister said the DMK would take the lead in holding consultations with opposition parties that share similar concerns, with the aim of pursuing the amendment in the next session of Parliament.
According to CM Stalin, repeated disruptions of the Governor’s address had reduced the convention to a political flashpoint rather than a ceremonial reaffirmation of democratic governance.
Chief Minister Stalin’s remarks come in the wake of a dramatic incident in the Tamil Nadu Assembly earlier this week, when Governor R.N. Ravi walked out before completing his inaugural address.
The Governor later alleged that he was disrespected when the national anthem was not played and claimed that his microphone was switched off, prompting him to leave the House.
Inside the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Speaker M. Appavu urged the Governor Ravi to adhere to established legislative conventions, leading to sharp exchanges.
The incident triggered intense political reactions, with the Raj Bhavan issuing a statement defending the walkout and alleging that the state government’s prepared speech had omitted references to issues such as atrocities against Dalits and sexual violence against Dalit women.
The controversy also spilled over to the Opposition benches, with leaders of the AIADMK staging a walkout, citing concerns over law and order.
With tensions escalating between Governors and elected state governments, CM Stalin’s proposal signals a broader push to revisit constitutional conventions that, he said, no longer serve their intended purpose in India’s federal democracy.