Acting Governor delays swearing in of Sasikala, time for regular Governor

Chennai: Yet again, the acting Governor of Tamil Nadu Vidyasagar Rao chooses to absent himself from the State when he is expected to
discharge his duties towards the State. He is said to be delaying the swearing in ceremony. The AIADMK Legislature Party had on Sunday unanimously elected V K Sasikala as its Leader, O Panneerselvam handed over his resignation letter from the post of CM, and the AIADMK is waiting for the Governor to be in Chennai to finalise the arrangements of the swearing in. Yet, Tamil Nadu has to suffer because there is no regular Goveror for several months now.

It is strange that the Governor seems to be consulting the AG regarding assumption of office of the new team headed by Sasikala.

The Disproportionate Assets case is cited as a reason. However, this case existed even when Jayalalithaa was to be sworn in after the
victory of the AIADMK in the Assembly elections.  The appeal  by Karnataka Government against acquittal of Jayalalithaa, Sasikala
and others had been filed in the SC on June 23, 2015. It was still pending in the apex court when Jayalalithaa was sworn in as CM in
May 2016.

There was no conviction per se against Jayalalithaa then nor does it exist in the case of Sasikala.

So, why should the BJP-led Government at the Centre have one yardstick for Jayalalithaa and another for Sasikala? It's obvious that
as in the case of Delhi and Puducherry where the LGs have been playing the BJP game to harass duly-elected, popular governments,
in Tamil Nadu, the office of Governor is being used to harass the ruling AIADMK.

For the acting Governor to delay his Constitutional duties on the ground of a judgment in a case  likely to come up a week later,
smacks of political interference and gamesmanship.

In fact, it is high time that the people of Tamil Nadu protested against the second-class treatment being meted out to the State by
having an acting Governor indefinitely in the State.  

The Government at the Centre has to quickly ask Vidyasagar Rao to be present in Chennai, conduct the swearing in, and then consult
the new CM about the appointment of a regular Governor for the State.

As per law, there is no legal impediment or restraint in Sasikala being appointed the chief minister. There is no ground available to the Centre to stall the process.

A Governor who is on a Bharat Darshan is of no use to Tamil Nadu.

It would be a travesty of justice if Vidyasagar Rao and his political bosses, PM Modi and others, delayed the process in Tamil Nadu, using the fig leaf of cases in court. It would also be appropriate for the Centre not to delay matters relating to appointment of a regular Governor for Tamil Nadu.

By R. Rangaraj