By Sandhya Ravishankar
Respected Governor of Tamil Nadu,
I write to you an open letter in the hope that it will somehow find its way to you.
There is only one question I want to ask you Sir – what are you waiting for in the case of Senthil Balaji?
On June 29, you had written a scathing letter, dismissing the former Electricity and Prohibition & Excise minister Senthil Balaji from the cabinet.
Around midnight though, you had issued another letter, putting your previous decision to remove Senthil Balaji from the position of Minister without portfolio. The reason you gave was that the Home Ministry had asked you to consult with the Attorney General of India.
But Governor, the furious Chief Minister Thiru MK Stalin, is stomping about issuing warnings to the Centre, because he does not want his Man Friday to be picked up by agencies for questioning.
It is funny that the Chief Minister should do so and strange that you have not shown him a crucial judgement on a case filed by his own father Thiru Mu Karunanidhi.
This was in 1979, when the AIADMK’s MG Ramachandran had come to power on his own for the first time.
In a case filed by Karunanidhi, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India delivered a landmark order. Another quirk of fate is that the lead judge of the Supreme Court bench which heard this case, is the father of the current sitting Chief Justice of India.
The law couldn’t be clearer. That this is a judgement by a five-judge bench of the apex court only bolsters your original stand.
So what are you waiting for, Governor Ravi?
Tamil Nadu deserves better. And its people hope that you will do the right thing.
Sincerely,
Sandhya Ravishankar