Governor interference has spread from Pondy to Tamil Nadu: Narayanaswamy

Pondicherry chief-minister Narayanaswamy has stated that the culture of ‘interference by the Governor in the State’s administration’ appears to have spread from Pondicherry to Tamil Nadu also.

After presiding over a function in Coimbatore on Tuesday, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit held discussions with the District Collector, Superintendent of Police and Coimbatore Police Commissioner and other officials about administrative issues. Taking cue from Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi, Purohit also picked up a broom to indulge in the Centre’s ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign briefly.

Governor’s interference in the State’s administration has evoked sharp reaction from politicians and others. Opposition parties in the State wasted no time in blaming the ‘weak’ EPS-OPS led AIADMK Govt. in allowing the Governor to have his say. In the meantime, Pondicherry chief-minister Narayanaswamy too commented on the issue during his visit to Chennai yesterday.

“It looks like the ‘disease’ of Governor interfering in the State’s administrative matters has spread to Tamil Nadu as well,” he said and added that Governor was well within his rights to do so but shouldn’t take arbitrary decisions without consulting an elected chief-minister.  It may be noted that Narayanaswamy and Bedi are at loggerheads with each other over the latter’s interference in the administrative affairs of Pondicherry.