Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 4 : Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran on Saturday met Governor R N Ravi and submitted a memorandum seeking legal action over the alleged participation of two private individuals in a recent Tamil Nadu Cabinet meeting, calling it a violation of the oath of secrecy.
After meeting the Governor at Raj Bhavan in Chennai, Nagendran said he, along with BJP Tamil Nadu State In-charge Arvind Menon and state spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy, urged the Governor to take appropriate action.
"This morning, along with Aravind Menon and Narayanan Thirupathy, we met the Governor. We submitted a petition urging the Governor to take action regarding the manner in which Higher Education Minister Viswanathan allegedly behaved towards children, as well as the participation of John Arokiyasamy and Vishnu Reddy in the recent Cabinet meeting," he said.
The BJP delegation also requested the Governor to advise Chief Minister Joseph Vijay to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
Nagendran said the party also raised concerns over the law and order situation in the state, alleging that the government had failed to act against crimes.
"We have also informed the Governor through a petition that, since this government assumed office, there have been 151 rape cases, 85 murder cases, and more than 80 drug trafficking incidents. We pointed out that the Chief Minister has failed to take adequate action on these issues. We are not asking the government to resolve every problem immediately. However, members of the ruling party themselves have allegedly been involved in various crimes, including offences against women. We have a list of such cases, but no action has been taken against those involved so far," he alleged.
He further alleged that the government had failed to explain the action taken against such crimes despite issuing white papers on various issues.
"This government releases white papers on every issue. What action has it taken against these crimes? Has it issued any report detailing the action taken? We are not demanding that the government resign. Our complaint is that it has failed to take action against crimes," he said.
The BJP leader also referred to complaints against Minister Sarathkumar and allegations against Minister Nirmal Kumar, claiming complaints had been made regarding irregularities in the appointment of government advocates.
"We also raised before the Governor the complaint against Minister Sarathkumar. Even if an offence was committed two years ago, it is still an offence. Allegations continue to surface against several ministers. Minister Nirmal Kumar may have studied law, but it is doubtful whether he truly understands the law. Several complaints have been made against Minister Nirmal Kumar. It has been alleged that bribes ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 50 lakh are being demanded for the appointment of government advocates. We are not backing anyone," he said.
Nagendran defended Governor R N Ravi, saying the Governor was empowered to review the implementation of Central government schemes and inspect government programmes during his visits.
"The Governor has full authority to review the implementation of Central Government schemes and inspect government programmes. There is no need to politicise this. The Governor has cooperated with the government in several initiatives, and it is inappropriate for ministers to make disparaging remarks against him," he said.
Responding to allegations that the BJP was backing the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Nagendran said, "If we were backing TVK, why would we file a complaint against them? We are not backing anyone."