New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu on Monday said that governors “should act impartially as heads of state in the context of the Constitution”, as they have been instrumental in expressing the collective opinion of the legislature with their “appropriate recommendations”. played the part.
He also objected to the “violation” in the territory of the state legislature by the central government, disregarding the collective opinion of the House.
During his speech at the meeting of the Committee of Presiding Officers in Delhi, which was organized to suggest criteria for the Outstanding Legislative Council/Assembly Award, Shri Appavu said, “There is a possibility of conflict if there is no harmony between the Union and . States, and especially when the Union, without consensus or consultation, violates the legislative scope of the State Legislature or disregards the collective opinion of the State Legislative Assembly expressed in the form of Bills/Resolutions.”
Referring to the media debate on the central government asserting itself forcefully against the wishes of the states in matters of law, Mr Appavu said: “State governors play an important role in expressing the collective opinion of the legislature as well. Their justified recommendations.Governor should act impartially as the head of state as per the constitution. How the legislature fights to protect the rights of the state is also one of the criteria while selecting the best legislature. can be considered as
A copy of his speech was circulated in the media.
It may be recalled that a Bill seeking exemption from NEET-based admissions in undergraduate medical courses adopted by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly was passed by Governor R.N. Ravi, after which the House once again passed the bill.
The governor eventually referred the bill to the Centre. Earlier this month, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin met the Governor and urged him to give his assent to the 21 bills passed by the House to “uphold the spirit of the Constitution and the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu”. Talking about other issues, Mr. Appavu said that the available data shows that state assemblies are convened on an average 30 days in a year. This did not leave enough time for members to discuss business, including scrutinizing the budget and thoroughly considering bills before they are passed in the assembly.
“Therefore, in my opinion, the number of sitting days and working hours of the legislature may be taken into account while selecting the outstanding legislature,” he said. He said that how far the legislature fought to protect the rights of its state can also be considered as one of the criteria for selection of the best legislature.
He said that the time spent in the Question Hour and the number of members given opportunity along with the reply of the Ministers can also be taken as a parameter.
The main role of the opposition parties was to question the government and hold it accountable, he said, adding that more opportunities should be provided to them to participate in the debates of the Assembly to facilitate the smooth functioning of the House.
“Dissent is a democratic expression, but it must be expressed through the framework and parameters of parliamentary instruments. Therefore, maintaining discipline and decorum is vital for the functioning of our parliamentary democracy. Proper utilization of the time of the House is very important to ensure quality debate. It is unfortunate that precious time of the House is wasted due to chaotic scenes and obstructions in some Houses,” the Speaker said, adding that this can also be considered as a criterion for selecting the best legislature .
