Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 15 (HBTV): Expressing concern over the growing friction between the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre, Congress MLA Aassan Maulaana on Tuesday stated that the State Council of Ministers holds the authority to pass a bill if the Governor withholds assent for 30 days.

Maulaana accused the Union government of financially stifling the Tamil Nadu administration and asserted that the issue would be raised in the Assembly.

‘If the Governor does not sign a bill within 30 days, then the State Council of Ministers can gather and pass the bill. This is the power every state has. When the Chief Minister brings this forward, it is to tell the Union government not to curb the functioning of state governments. The Tamil Nadu government is being financially strangled, and we will express this in the Assembly,’ the Congress MLA said.

Criticising Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi for allegedly promoting religious activities, Maulaana condemned his reported suggestion for students to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

‘This issue of Dalits has come up due to the BJP. How can you ask students to chant Jai Shri Ram? BJP-RSS are missing the whole idea of Ram. The Governor, who is on a constitutional post, should stop promoting religious activities. Whenever there is a BJP, there are no schemes for the welfare of people. They are afraid of the Dravidian model under which there are people-centric schemes,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is expected to move the State Autonomy resolution in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. The resolution urges the Central government to ensure greater devolution of powers to states.

This comes in the wake of several resolutions passed by the Assembly criticising central policies. Among them was a resolution urging the repeal of the Waqf (Amendment) Act recently passed by the Centre.

The move for greater state autonomy also follows a major development wherein ten bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly became law without the Governor’s assent after a Supreme Court ruling.

On April 8, the Supreme Court termed Governor RN Ravi’s action of withholding assent to ten bills—after they were re-enacted by the State Legislature—as ‘illegal and erroneous in law’.

(ANI)