Contending that Tamil Nadu required a “stable government”, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu said here on Monday that it was the duty of the Governor to guide the Chief Minister, the Council of Ministers and the people. He, however, cautioned against the Governor becoming a “political, parallel power centre”.
“What is required in Tamil Nadu is a stable government, what is required is governance, what is required is fulfilling the promises that were made during the last election when Amma Jayalalithaa was there. You [the government] made some promises, you have to fulfil those promises. Whether [or not] you carry out your responsibility, the ultimate judgment will be given not by the Governor. Judgment has to be given by the people at the appropriate time,” Mr. Naidu said during a speech at the Raj Bhavan here. “Whether [or not] a particular party has got a majority, it will be tested. But once the test is done, the duty is to follow the Constitution, follow the mandate... Once in five years, they [the government] have to go to the people and seek their mandate again. So, we cannot expect the Governor to go beyond the Constitution,” he said.
Speaking at the launch of ‘Those Eventful Days’, a coffee-table book that details what the former Tamil Nadu Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao was faced with during the period between September last year and October this year, which witnessed significant events including the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, Mr. Naidu said Mr. Rao discharged his responsibilities to the “maximum satisfaction of the Constitution”.
“Some people may be happy, some people may be unhappy. But you can't make everybody happy because you have to act as per the Constitution,” Mr. Naidu said, without elaborating further.
On Governor’s mandate
The Governor was only a ceremonial head of the State, he said, and observed, “Without knowing the Governor's powers and limitations, if you come with your own expectation and then get disappointed, nobody can help you. The Governor cannot interfere in the regular functioning of the government, and the Constitution has mandated the Governor to be a guide, a philosopher, a catalyst, a facilitator, a motivator, a mentor, a guide to the Chief Minister, to guide the Council of Ministers and also to guide the people.”
“Once the elections are over, people should forget politics and instead focus on development and good governance, and it is important for State and Central governments to work hand-in-hand,” he said, adding, “In Tamil Nadu, I am happy [that] the State government and the Central government are working together and moving together. I hope they will fulfil the aspirations of the people, so that justice can be done to the people.”
“The Governor should also be proactive in guiding the government as per the mandate of the people...Guiding the government in several ways, with regard to fighting corruption, fighting black money, with regard to clean and green [environment], with regard to Swachh Bharat, with regard to the literacy mission, eradication of poverty, elimination of social evils..” he said.
“All these are mandates given by the people. There is no politics involved in this. There is no BJP or DMK or AIADMK in this or this party or that party. This is the people’s agenda...I hope that the Governor will be at the forefront to guide the people, advice the government and see [to it] that those schemes and programmes are properly implemented,” the Vice President said, averring that history would decide whether those in power have done their job.
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Maharashtra Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, Union Minister of State Pon. Radhakrishnan and Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan were present at the occasion.
Mr. Naidu also commissioned a 400 kWp solar power plant at the Raj Bhavan.
‘Foster research’
Speaking at the valedictory of the India International Science Festival, Mr. Naidu suggested that industry and corporate houses could create a corpus to provide impetus to research.
Only science can offer solutions, and innovative technologies are needed to overcome the challenges facing the country. This required investment in science and technology, he said.
