Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 8 : The Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan has dismissed the allegations against Governor RN Ravi, accusing him of deliberately delaying assent to Bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, describing such claims as "unfounded" and "factually incorrect."
In an official statement, the Raj Bhavan said, "Certain unfounded and factually incorrect allegations have been made in the public domain that the Governor has been delaying assent to the Bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and that his actions are against the interests of the people of Tamil Nadu."
According to official data, the Governor has assented to 81 per cent of the total Bills received, with 95 per cent of them being cleared within the first three months.
The release further clarified that the remaining 13 per cent of Bills are reserved for the consideration of the President, with 60 per cent of these reservations being made on the recommendation of the State Government. The remaining eight Bills, received in the last week of October, are currently under consideration.
The Raj Bhavan also explained that ten Bills were held by the Governor due to concerns over compliance with national laws, particularly regulations issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC). These Bills, subsequently passed by the Assembly, were reserved for the President's consideration, in line with constitutional provisions, the release stated.
The Governor's office emphasised his commitment to constitutional principles, stating that he performs his duties very sincerely and fairly.
The release stated, "The Governor of Tamil Nadu has examined every Bill with due diligence to uphold the rule of law and protect the interests of the people of Tamil Nadu. The Governor has always acted strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of India and has been performing his constitutional duties with utmost sincerity, transparency, and commitment to the people of the State, irrespective of any political considerations and with complete fairness, diligence, and respect for democratic processes, being duty-bound under the Constitution to ensure that all legislation conforms to the Constitution."