Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Friday declared that the struggle to safeguard state rights will intensify, asserting that the demand for constitutional amendments to fix mandatory timelines for governors to clear Bills “will not stop until achieved.”
Reacting for the first time to the Supreme Court’s advisory opinion on the Presidential Reference, Stalin said the court’s observations would have no bearing on the landmark April 8, 2025 verdict in State of Tamil Nadu vs Governor of Tamil Nadu. He emphasized that the judicial position on this issue continues to uphold democratic governance and the primacy of elected governments.
Stalin noted that the Bench delivering the advisory opinion had reinforced a crucial principle — that the elected state government must remain the central executive authority. He stressed that the Constitution does not permit the governor to stall legislation indefinitely.
“The governor has no fourth option to kill a Bill or use a pocket veto, as the Tamil Nadu Governor attempted. He cannot simply withhold a Bill without reason,” Stalin said, adding that such practices undermine federalism and democratic accountability.
Reaffirming the DMK’s long-standing stance on federal autonomy, Stalin stated that Tamil Nadu would keep pushing for structural reforms to prevent future administrative deadlocks. “Our fight for state rights and true federalism will continue,” he said.
