Governor raises case against Minister with Rangasamy

The two have a ten-minute meeting

Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh on Monday said he had discussed with Chief Minister N. Rangasamy the issues related to the case against Transport Minister P. M. L Kalyanasundaram, who also holds the Education portfolio, for allegedly getting somebody else to write the Class X supplementary examination on his behalf in a private school at Tindivanam last month.

“I discussed (the matter),” he told The Hindu over phone when asked about his nearly 10-minute meeting with Mr. Rangasamy on Monday evening. It assumes importance as Leader of the Opposition V. Vaithilingam told reporters after a meeting with Mr Singh that the Lieutenant Governor had promised to get a reply from the Chief Minister on the issue. When asked whether the resignation figured during the meeting, Mr Singh just said, “I told you we discussed it.”

Congress memorandum

Earlier in the day, Mr. Vaithilingam, along with other Congress leaders, submitted a memorandum to Mr. Singh urging him to recommend the removal of Mr. Kalyanasundaram.

Addressing a press conference along with Union Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanasamy, he said that if the Minister did not resign on his own and the Chief Minister did not remove him from the cabinet, the Lieutenant Governor should intervene.

Mr. Narayanasamy said that the Minister's continuance would hinder the police investigations.

He could “tamper with evidence and influence the witness.”

Rangasamy's silence

Questioning the silence of Mr. Rangasamy, he said, “People have started why it is necessary for the Chief Minister to keep Mr. Kalyanasundaram in the Cabinet even after the controversy.”