- 1 hour ago
A major political standoff has erupted in Tamil Nadu as the state governor allegedly delays inviting the single largest party to form the new government. Despite submitting a letter of support with one hundred and twelve elected representatives, the governor has reportedly demanded proof of a simple majority of one hundred and eighteen before administering the oath of office. Political analysts and legal experts argue that constitutional precedents mandate the governor to invite the single largest party and allow them to prove their majority on the floor of the legislative assembly, rather than turning the governor's residence into a testing ground. Amidst the delay, rumours of an unlikely alliance between rival Dravidian parties have surfaced, though these are widely dismissed as pressure tactics. Meanwhile, forty elected representatives from the leading party have reportedly been relocated to a resort to prevent potential poaching. Experts warn that any attempt by constitutional authorities to subvert the electoral mandate could lead to severe institutional clashes and undermine the democratic process in the state.
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00:00I want to raise the question, as Akshita rightly said, there have been precedents of minority
00:04governments in this country. So why isn't the governor, Mr. Arlekar, inviting Vijay to form
00:11a government? How realistic is this AIA, DMK, DMK power bid or is it, as I said, only a pressure
00:16tactic? What role is the BJP playing behind the screens, the centre? Are they trying to prevent
00:22Vijay from going with the Congress? As I said, is this a bid to thwart a Vijay Congress alliance?
00:28Let's ask the questions that are not asked, unfortunately, at times like this. Sumanth
00:33S. Raman, political analyst, known to shoot from his hip, joins us. Selam Dhani Dharan is
00:39also with us and I'm also joined by S. Mudli Dharan, political analyst. But I want to come
00:45to you, Sumanth, first, because it appears to me, purely from the outside here, that this
00:50is an attempt to put pressure on Vijay to not go with the Congress, maybe go with the AIDMK
00:56today. And somewhere down the line, the role of the governor will come under question.
01:01Why is the governor so unwilling to welcome Vijay to form a government? Give him a week.
01:06Randeep, today has been like a pot-boiler. The day started bright for Vijay. He was invited,
01:14he had an appointment with the governor at 3.30 in the evening to go and meet the governor.
01:18And everything was expected to be hunky-dory. Then the Congress released its letter of support.
01:25And the letter of support spoke about an alliance for 2029 Lok Sabha election, the local body
01:34election, and so on with the TVK. Now, somewhere that seemed to have triggered off something.
01:40I don't think we need to speculate on where. In the meanwhile, this story started gaining
01:46traction around 4 o'clock, 4.30 in the evening, which is when we got the news that the governor
01:52was probably not going to have a swearing in, and he wanted to consult quote-unquote legal experts,
01:57though what there is to consult. Nobody else has taken a claim to form a government. It's not as if,
02:03you know, AIDMK or DMK have taken a claim and this man wants to prove the majority among them.
02:09Clearly, there is only one claimant to form the government. That is the single largest party.
02:13So, what prevents him from going ahead, swearing in Vijay and giving him a week or 10 days to form
02:19prove his majority on the floor of the house? That is done. But by 6-6.30, the rumor mills
02:25were going
02:26better. And this, Radheep, I am not too sure. From whatever I have heard, both sides did talk.
02:36Now, anybody is denying it from any side, that's obviously what they are likely to do.
02:40Yeah, but the talks seem to be, I mean, let's be honest, the talks don't, given what the nature
02:45of the relationship between AIDMK and DMK, I know nothing is impossible in politics.
02:49Let me bring in Selam, Dhani, Dhani.
02:51It blew our, it blew all of us.
02:53Yeah, yeah, but it is, my sources are saying this has been completely planted to try and put
02:59pressure on Vijay to come up with a better offer, perhaps to the AIDMK. But Selam, Dhani,
03:06Dhani, is there a possibility after all of this, that you'll go with the AIDMK? DMK will go with
03:11the AIDMK?
03:14My voice is really, I mean, your voice is really breaking. I could not hear. Maybe I come back
03:19to you in a few minutes.
03:20No, no, wait a minute. Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?
03:23I just can't hear your question. I requested your team to patch me up to my phone. So once
03:27that happens, then I would come back in a minute.
03:31You know, the moment I ask these kind of questions, we have panelists who say they can't hear.
03:35We'll try and get him back on the audio. But S. Murali Dhani, political analyst, do you
03:39go along with my view that all of this is being done to put pressure on Vijay not to
03:44go with the Congress?
03:48Rajiv, correct. My name is Nanda Kumar, not Murali Dhani. Just a correction. And well,
03:56considering this, I'm audible.
04:00Yes, you're audible, Nanda Kumar.
04:02Yeah. So this is time and again, it has been disproved by Vijay that whenever there is a
04:08pressure or hurdle put towards Vijay, he is coming very successfully. That's what we have
04:13seen over the past few months. And again, there is no logical thing even because Indian
04:19constitution doesn't mandate a governor to ask for the halfway mark to prove that. Even
04:25if you take the presidents in 2018 in Karnataka, when BJP was falling short, the governor has invited
04:31Eddie Rapa to form the government. And even in 2019 in Maharashtra, when Fatnavis was not
04:37having the majority, governor has called him and Supreme Court intervened to and given the
04:43verdict for floor test. But since he could not prove it before the floor test, he has resigned.
04:48But here, Vijay is having very well 113 numbers with him. And the governments are often formed
04:56based on the possible likelihood to prove the majority.
05:00Sure. So there are two, there are two, yeah. When I look at precedents, there's K.R. Narayanan who asked
05:07for letters of support, you will recall, and said, give me the
05:11letters of support and then you can go on the floor of the house. There are instances also like Narsimha
05:16Rao's case where Narsimha Rao was allowed to form a government even though he didn't have the numbers at the
05:22time when he went to stake claim. And the governor and the president then gave him time to form his
05:28government. So there are precedents on both sides.
05:30But generally, the party which is single largest is given the opportunity if no one else takes claim. And at
05:38the moment, no one else is in Tamil Nadu seems in a position to stake claim to form a government.
05:42So it appears that someone is trying to stop Vijay in his tracks. And that may not go down well.
05:50Selam Dhani Dharan, I presume you can now hear us.
05:52And let me ask you that question. Is the DMK willing to go with the AI DMK? Or are you
05:57just trying to create an atmosphere where Vijay is put under pressure?
06:03What are we doing? I don't think DMK has done anything. DMK has accepted the people's mandate. We are waiting
06:08for Vijay or rather the TVK to take the next course of action.
06:12There is nothing in it for the DMK to do anymore. My chief minister has conceded. David has given resignation
06:17letter. As simple as that.
06:20So there's no question. There's no question. There's no question of Stalin and Palani Sami coming together to stop Vijay?
06:28I don't think so. That is not happening. People have given mandate to a new party.
06:35I don't think so.
06:37No, I don't think so. But Suman, that is the truth. He's saying it's not happening. It appears to me,
06:43again as I said, purely from the outside, there seems to be a…
06:47It's very unlikely to happen.
06:48No, no, but please tell me.
06:50No, Nanda Kumar made a good point.
06:52No, no, Nanda Kumar made a good point.
06:54But the governor… Why is the governor sitting on Vijay's claim? Why is he not… He's saying, I'm going to
07:00Kerala.
07:01Rajdeep, can I come in quickly? That is why I'm trying to say… See, this is up to the governor
07:05to allow Vijay to form the government.
07:08He has the highest number of MLAs. The Congress has gone and joined them. So he should do that.
07:14But he's not doing it. It means that the governor is being used by the BJP to thwart democracy.
07:20This is exactly what the governors did when DMK was in power.
07:23I think the question is slightly… The question is slightly… Needs to be phrased slightly differently to Darni Dharan.
07:31Where there are talks informally held on this issue is the question.
07:36Not whether the DMK is going to form an alliance with the DMK, which is very, very far-fetched.
07:42And most of us can't see that happening.
07:44But the attempt… Whether an attempt was made to talk… That is the… That is the buzz in Chennai. Not
07:50that…
07:51No, the buzz… No, Sumant, I'm sorry. But that buzz in Chennai that I'm getting is clearly designed. That buzz
07:56is wrong.
07:56That buzz has been created to try and somehow create the impression that the governor…
08:03Governor has options beyond Vijay. The truth is let one person of either of these parties come on record and
08:09say we have begun a conversation with the other.
08:11Or deny that completely.
08:14Yeah, so they're not…
08:16No, he's denying that…
08:18No, Rajdeep, Rajdeep, I'm coming here.
08:20My Chief Minister… I mean, sorry, my former Chief Minister, my party leader MK Stalin, even during 2018-2020 after
08:28Jayalata's demise when ADMK was going through Tamilto's time and OPS split away,
08:31if he wanted he could have
08:33using the support of
08:36OPS MLAs or TTV Danagar and
08:38MLAs could have
08:39come to power but he never did it so he is
08:42someone who believes in democracy
08:43he is a thorough statesman
08:45so he will not do anything like that
08:47the mandate has been given to TVK
08:49let them govern
08:52but if they don't deliver
08:54on their promises
08:54if they don't deliver on their promises my party
08:57will question them each and every day
08:58if they don't
08:59okay I've got big news
09:02coming in from someone
09:04close to Raj Bhavan since we are on
09:06a day when sources are giving us information
09:09when Mr. Vijay
09:11came he gave
09:12governor a letter staking
09:14claim with 112 MLAs
09:17the governor took
09:18the letter and has told
09:20Vijay please come back to me with
09:22118 and I will swear
09:24you in immediately this is big news
09:28Raj Bhavan
09:29sources
09:29Mr.
09:30our sources close to governor
09:32Arlekar saying
09:33Vijay came to me with a letter
09:35staking claim with 112 MLAs
09:38the governor has told him
09:39please come back with 118
09:41we if you have the simple majority
09:44I will swear you
09:46in the very next moment
09:48that is the big news that's coming in
09:50this is straight from Raj Bhavan sources
09:52Vijay gave the letter with 112 MLAs
09:56that includes him
09:57and five others
09:58governor has said
10:00please come back to me
10:01with 118 and I will swear you
10:04so Nandakumar
10:05he seems to say
10:06unless you cross the halfway mark
10:07I am not swearing you in
10:09you have to show me
10:10letters of support
10:11that you have 118
10:19it is up to the party who is for deciding to form the government it is up to them even
10:42at the current level of 112
10:45even if 12 MLAs are abstaining on the day of voting
10:48with the current 112 they can prove their majority
10:51then why the governor is asking for 118
10:53there is no logic in asking this
10:55governor is actually fighting the losing battle
10:58and already in Tamil Nadu
11:00there was a rift between governor and the people elected government
11:03this institutional class was there
11:05now the new government is coming in
11:07new governor also there
11:09so now they have to renew the institutional relationship properly
11:14the people of Tamil Nadu wants the good relationship between the center and state
11:18and now in the beginning itself
11:20if you are keeping the relationship with the upcoming government
11:23what the people will think about the governor
11:26this is absolutely ridiculous thing
11:28no you are quite right
11:30there are questions that will be raised
11:32of course the governor can ask other parties also
11:34if they can reach the halfway mark
11:35so far there is no sign he has made that effort
11:38I want to go to Sanjay
11:39there is no one Rajdeep to claim the stake at this point of time
11:43not even DMK not even ADMK
11:46nobody is in the line
11:47nobody is in the queue
11:48only TVK
11:50it is Raj Bhavan sources
11:51not Lok Bhavan
11:52Raj Bhavan sources
11:53of course it has now been changed to
11:54in several states to Lok Bhavan
11:56but that is the Raj Bhavan sources
11:58which are telling us this
11:59but Sanjay Hegde is joining us
12:01Sanjay
12:01we are now in a situation in Tamil Nadu
12:04where the party which has got the maximum seats
12:08108
12:09minus 1
12:10because Vijay 1 and 2
12:11needs 117 to go to the halfway mark
12:14goes to the governor
12:15with a letter of support from the congress
12:17that takes them to 112
12:19governor says
12:19come back to me when you have 118
12:22can the governor do that
12:24or is the governor
12:26bound to give Vijay a chance
12:29to prove his majority on the floor of the assembly
12:32the governor cannot rule the state
12:35especially when there is a new assembly
12:39which has been elected
12:40he has to ask someone
12:43who in his opinion
12:44commands the confidence of the house
12:47there is nobody else
12:48who has
12:49who has laid claim
12:50to the fact
12:51saying that
12:52I can command a majority
12:54in the house
12:55the governor
12:56then has no
12:57has to make that choice
12:59ask the person
13:00to prove his majority
13:02in a vote of confidence
13:03and as
13:04the previous speaker
13:05was saying
13:06there can be people
13:07who can abstain
13:08from that vote of confidence
13:09there may be
13:10there may be people who
13:12despite being
13:13in another party
13:14might yet
13:16vote
13:17in favor of the motion
13:18of confidence
13:19the governor
13:20cannot simply say
13:22that I will convert
13:23the Raj Bhavan
13:24into the legislative assembly
13:26courts have
13:28frowned upon that
13:29a similar exercise
13:31of not constituting
13:33the assembly
13:33was done by
13:34governor Bhuta Singh
13:35a long time ago
13:36with the Bihar assembly
13:37the supreme court
13:39then struck it down
13:41the then president
13:42president APJ Abdul Kalam
13:44almost resigned
13:45over that
13:47these are
13:48democratic institutions
13:51Sanjay I have just
13:52got
13:53you know
13:53one precedent
13:55Karnataka 2018
13:57even though
13:58the congress
13:59JDS
13:59claimed that
14:01they had
14:01they could form
14:02a coalition government
14:03the governor
14:05invited Yedirappa
14:06to form the government
14:07because he was
14:08the single largest party
14:09and to prove
14:09his majority
14:10on the floor
14:10of the house
14:11surely that's
14:12what should be done
14:13here
14:13let him prove
14:14his majority
14:14on the floor
14:15of the house
14:15the governor
14:16seems to be
14:17playing political
14:18games
14:18there is a better
14:20precedent
14:20Atal Bihari Vajpayee
14:22was invited
14:24by president
14:24Shankar Dail Sharma
14:26to form the government
14:27despite having
14:29nothing near a majority
14:30in the house
14:31then
14:32he lost the motion
14:33of confidence
14:35subsequently
14:36a new alliance
14:37came up
14:38and claimed
14:39the confidence
14:40of the house
14:41actually
14:42our top band
14:43should be
14:44what role
14:44is the governor
14:45playing
14:46the governor
14:46is playing
14:47dangerous
14:47political games
14:48by not inviting
14:49Vijay
14:50you are saying
14:51Atal Bihari Vajpayee
14:53is president
14:53but
14:54remember also
14:55KR Narayanan
14:56later on
14:57because the government
14:57fell in 13 days
14:58next time
14:59ask for all the
15:00letters of support
15:01so the governor
15:02could well
15:02turn around
15:03and say
15:03I want all the
15:04letters of support
15:05as he seems
15:05to be asking
15:07in the first instance
15:09president Narayanan
15:10did not do that
15:11yes
15:12in the first instance
15:13he called the
15:14single largest party
15:15particularly because
15:16no other party
15:17at that point of time
15:18had laid claim
15:20so
15:22there have been
15:23cases and cases
15:24president Sanjeev
15:25Reddy for instance
15:26swore in
15:27Charant Singh
15:28and then asked him
15:29to prove his
15:31majority
15:31on the floor
15:32of parliament
15:33Charant Singh
15:34never faced parliament
15:35but became
15:36prime minister
15:36nevertheless
15:39so Rajendra
15:40if you are
15:41watching the
15:42program today
15:43you are the
15:43honorable governor
15:44of Tamil Nadu
15:45sir
15:45there are enough
15:46instances
15:47where you have
15:48to invite the
15:49party with the
15:50single largest
15:51numbers to give
15:52them a chance
15:53to prove their
15:54numbers on the
15:54floor of the
15:55house
15:55the question
15:56will be asked
15:57why are you
15:58not doing so
15:59and is therefore
16:00this talk of a
16:01tie-up between
16:01DMK and
16:02AIDMK only
16:03designed to put
16:04pressure on
16:05Vijay and
16:05is it going
16:06against the
16:06mandate of
16:07the people
16:07is that an
16:08important criteria
16:09also Sanjay
16:10that the
16:10governor must
16:11look at what
16:12is the mandate
16:13or that's not
16:14his responsibility
16:14his responsibility
16:15is give Vijay a
16:17chance to prove
16:17his majority on
16:18the floor of the
16:19house
16:20his responsibility
16:21is to ensure
16:22that there is a
16:23government which
16:24faces the
16:25assembly and
16:28maybe it secures
16:29a vote of
16:30confidence or
16:30maybe it falls on
16:31the floor of the
16:32assembly
16:33but the
16:34Raj Bhavan
16:35cannot be a
16:36substitute for
16:37the assembly
16:38there is no
16:41precondition that
16:42unless you have a
16:43full majority
16:44only then will I
16:46swear you in
16:48Sumanth Raman
16:48therefore you've
16:49heard this from
16:50the lawyers is
16:51the governor of
16:51Tamil Nadu playing
16:52political games
16:53that's what it's
16:54coming down to
16:55is there an
16:55attempt to play
16:57games
16:57yeah absolutely
16:58I think that there
16:59is no doubt at
17:00all especially
17:01because nobody
17:01else has taken
17:02a claim but I
17:03can also tell
17:03you that the
17:04local media has
17:05been reporting
17:05that 40 TVK
17:07MLAs have been
17:08shifted to a
17:08resort make of
17:10that what you
17:10will Rajdeep but
17:1240 TVK MLAs
17:14you're claiming
17:15have been moved
17:16to a resort I'm
17:16not claiming it
17:17it's being reported
17:18in the local
17:18media that 40
17:19MLAs have been
17:20kept in a resort
17:21so I think that
17:22interesting times
17:23may be ahead but
17:25I think it's
17:26extremely unfair
17:27this mandate was
17:28against the DMK
17:29it was against
17:30the AIADMK
17:31it was for
17:32Vijay and
17:33anything any
17:34attempt made by
17:35any constitutional
17:36authority to
17:37subvert the
17:38mandate is
17:38grossly unfair
17:40what the governor
17:41should do is
17:42call Vijay
17:43swear him in
17:44ask him to
17:45face the vote of
17:46confidence in the
17:47house within a
17:48reasonable time
17:48frame maybe 10
17:49to 15 days
17:50that is the right
17:51way to go about
17:51it and at the
17:52moment the way
17:53the governor is
17:54behaving is
17:55extremely suspicious
17:56okay I'm going to
17:57leave it there
17:57then
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