In a rare clarification, Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi has strongly denied allegations levelled by the DMK government that his office has been deliberately delaying assent to Bills passed by the State Assembly or acting against Tamil Nadu’s interests.
A press release issued by Raj Bhavan on November 7 dismissed the claims as “unfounded and factually incorrect.” It stated that “official records would show that out of all Bills received as on October 31, 2025, 81% have been assented to by the Hon’ble Governor—95% of which were cleared within three months.”
Further, “13% of the Bills have been reserved for the consideration of the Hon’ble President, with 60% of these reservations made on the State Government’s own recommendation,” the statement said. The remaining Bills, received only in the last week of October 2025, are “under active consideration.”
Raj Bhavan Press Release No: 08 pic.twitter.com/d9oRxETJ3z
— LOK BHAVAN, TAMIL NADU (@lokbhavan_tn) February 12, 2024
The release asserted that the allegations circulating on social media and in public discourse were “false and misleading.” Bills that were earlier returned to the Assembly and later re-adopted were subsequently assented to. However, “ten Bills were withheld and, upon re-passage, reserved for Presidential consideration as they contradicted the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations framed under an Act of Parliament, hence falling outside the State Legislature’s competence.”
Raj Bhavan emphasised that the Governor had examined every Bill “with due diligence to uphold the rule of law and protect the interests of the people of Tamil Nadu.” It reiterated that the Governor had acted “strictly in accordance with the Constitution of India,” performing his duties “with sincerity, transparency, fairness, and respect for democratic processes.”
The release further noted that the Governor “holds deep respect for the people of Tamil Nadu and supports spiritual, cultural, and linguistic initiatives highlighting Tamil heritage, art, and literature.” It said the clarification should “set at rest the unfounded allegations against the Governor’s office and the charge that he is acting against the State’s interests.”
For months, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin and DMK leaders have accused Governor Ravi of “deliberately stalling” key legislative Bills and acting as an “agent of the BJP-led Central Government.” The DMK even approached the Supreme Court, which in April 2025 invoked Article 142 of the Constitution to deem ten Bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly as having received assent citing the Governor’s “unreasonable delay” and “improper reservation for Presidential assent.”
However, following this unprecedented order, the President of India referred the issue to the Supreme Court for examination on whether invoking Article 142 to override constitutional procedures was justified.
The matter is currently being heard by a Constitution Bench, potentially setting the stage for a landmark judgment defining the scope of a Governor’s discretionary powers and the constitutional propriety of judicial intervention in legislative processes.
The development has reignited a political debate on federal accountability, with observers noting that the DMK is attempting to shift political blame onto the Centre and the Governor for administrative and legal lapses in its own legislative process.
TN Governor denies allegation that his office delaying assent to the bills passed by assembly.
Observers point out that this is a deliberate attempt by the DMK leadership to build a political narrative portraying the constitutional head of the State as acting against the interests of the elected government. This kind of portrayal is not confined to Tamil Nadu alone; almost all the INDIA alliance partners led by the Congress are indulging in a similar narrative to influence voters, presenting it as one of the reasons for their opposition to the current NDA government led by the Prime Minister at the Centre.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and even Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have all subtly pushed this line into public discourse — an unhealthy political practice increasingly adopted by the INDIA alliance partners.
