Tamil Nadu Governor recently had a meeting with government officials in Coimbatore to directly review various programs.
This is perceived as an interventionist over-reach.
What are the conventional provisions?
The Governor of a State isn’t expected to review the work of government officials personally, when an elected regime is in place.
Article 167 of the Constitution says that - CM’s has to keep the Governor updated on all major government decisions in both executive & legislative domain.
Additionally, CM is also required to furnish any specific administration related information if the Governor demands.
There may be occasions when the Governor may ask a top bureaucrat or a police officer for a report.
But such an action should be rarely resorted to and it should be for some specific purpose of importance.
What fuels suspicions?
The political context in which the governor is exhibiting his zeal to familiarise himself with the administration is significant.
The government’s majority in the Assembly is in doubt, after the disqualification of 18 dissident MLAs.
Notably, an impression that the state government is currently being armtwisted by the center is prevalent.
The prospect of the State coming under a spell of President’s Rule is also very real.
What is the way forward?
The Governor can indeed work independently within the boundaries of his constitutional mandate.
But he needs to ensure that his functioning should be within the bounds of established norms and conventions.
