Governor Arlekar Opens Lok Bhavan to Public Amid Rift With Tamil Nadu Government
During a book release function in Chennai on Saturday, Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar announced that the doors of Lok Bhavan are always open to the public for the redressal of grievances. The Governor offered to personally take up citizens' issues with the Chief Minister, amid escalating tensions between his office and the ruling TVK government.
The Governor's public outreach follows a major political dispute that arose days earlier, after he held a review meeting with top government officials at the Madurai Circuit House. The meeting sparked a row between the Governor's office and the state administration, escalating the political rift between Lok Bhavan and the ruling government.
Addressing the audience in Chennai, Governor Arlekar urged citizens not to feel hesitant about approaching his office. He stated that Lok Bhavan is always with the people and invited them to come and share their problems, promising to do whatever is possible from his side to resolve them.
Governor Arlekar also offered to act as a bridge between the public and the state government. He stated that he would certainly contact Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to share the plight of the citizens and discuss what needs to be done, asserting that they would work towards a solution together. He urged the public to approach Lok Bhavan if they had expectations from him or the government.
The remarks have intensified the ongoing political rift. On Friday, Minister for Energy and Law CTR Nirmal Kumar strongly condemned the Governor’s actions in Madurai. Kumar asserted that the Governor does not possess the constitutional authority to function as a "parallel administration" or to independently review state schemes.
In response to the Governor's actions, the TVK government, led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, directed state officials not to attend any future review meetings convened by the Governor without obtaining prior approval from the state government.
