The almost strained relations between the Opposition DMK and Governor Banwarilal Purohit took a turn for the worse on Monday as MK Stalin, leader of the Opposition and working president of the party, tried unsuccessfully to drag the Governor’s name into the Assembly. What made Stalin furious was the release issued by Raj Bhavan on Sunday warning that legal action would be taken against those who try to lay siege to the Raj Bhavan and that those who were protesting against the Governor’s visits to the districts were trying to mislead the people.
This was in response to the statement made by Stalin on Saturday that his party activists were trying to lay siege to the Raj Bhavan when the police removed them and took them under preventive custody. The “flash demonstration” staged by the DMK on Saturday had thrown peak hour traffic along the Raj Bhavan haywire causing inconvenience to thousands of people using one of the busiest thoroughfares in the capital city.
Stalin and the party cadre were annoyed over the frequent visits of the Governor to the districts where the latter holds meetings with district officials. All these meetings are held in the presence of one of the members of the council of Ministers. Stalin alleges that the meetings convened by the Governor was an attempt to derail federal autonomy and he would intensify the agitations in days to come.
It may be noted that the DMK cadre and leaders have been waving black flag at the Governor whenever he visits the districts. H Raja, national secretary of the BJP, had cautioned Stalin on Saturday that any attempt to prevent the Governor would result in his getting prosecuted under section 124 of the Indian Penal Code.
The Raj Bhavan in its statement on Sunday had said that there was nothing political in the visits of the Governor to the districts and he was undertaking such trips after consulting legal and Constitutional experts.