Edappadi K Palaniswami should protest Governor's review meetings: P Chidambaram

Chennai: Wading into the raging row over the Tamil Nadu Governor holding review meetings with government officials, former Union Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday asked Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to instruct officials not to participate in such discussions with Banwarilal Purohit.

Chidambaram, former Union Finance and Home Minister, also said Purohit was not the real head of the state executive and accused Palaniswami of “cowering in fear” of the Union Government. “The governor is only the ‘titular’ head of the executive, not the ‘real’ head. Since the real head, the chief minister, is cowering in fear of the central government, the TN Governor is exceeding his authority”, he said. “To be worthy of the office he holds, the Tamil Nadu chief minister should instruct district administrations to refuse to participate in meetings called by the governor”, Chidambaram said in a series of tweets on Sunday.

His statement assumes significance in the wake of Purohit continuing with his review meetings with officials of various district administrations despite vociferous protests from Opposition parties against such practice. These parties have been accusing Purohit of interfering in the administration of the state government and termed it as an assault on state autonomy.

However, Purohit had on Saturday reiterated that he would continue to interact with the common people and officials during his visits to various districts in the coming months. The Raj Bhavan, in a release, rubbished the allegation that the Governor was “interfering at the behest of the Centre (in administration)”. “This is a bald allegation unsupported by any facts. This allegation deserves to be ignored”, the Raj Bhavan statement had said on Saturday.