Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi recently sought details of the functioning of various departments and the welfare schemes of the state to the Chief Secretary, following this the present DMK-led government has accepted the request and said that it was a usual practice. However, the issue created a political stir since DMK earlier staged a protest against former Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit for conducting review meetings and tours.
According to a report on PTI, Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu in a letter to various department heads on October 18, told the department heads to be prepared with a PowerPoint presentation on the various functions of their department and the welfare schemes for appraising the Governor. He also said the presentation should mention both the state and union government schemes. The Chief Secretary also added that the date and time for the presentation will be intimated soon.
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Once the letter came to the public view, the DMK said that it was not wrong of the Governor to know about the welfare schemes. However, Congress, which is the ally of DMK, said that the move was wrong since it did not sync with the convention.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president KS Alagiri said, a Governor can hold discussions with officials only during a law and order issue or calamity. The Governor is interfering with the functions of the government for "reviewing" or making "appraisal" which is unconventional and wrong, he said.
However, the issue gained political significance and led to differences among political leaders since when DMK was in Opposition, the party strongly opposed the then Governor Banwarilal Purohit's meeting with officials to review the schemes. It also staged protests against the Governor alleging that it was against the state's autonomy.