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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday joined Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin to accuse the BJP-led central government of “misusing” governors to “stifle” voices of states and

obstruct elected governments. Reposting Stalin’s post condemning the Union government’s presidential reference, Gandhi, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, asserted that

the government’s move was a “dangerous assault on federalism” and “must be resisted”. Advertisement “India’s strength lies in its diversity — a Union of States, each with its own voice…The

Modi government is misusing Governors to stifle those voices and obstruct elected state governments,” he said in a post on social media. Advertisement Condemning the government’s

Presidential reference move, Stalin had observed that it was an “attempt to subvert the Constitutional position already settled by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the Tamil Nadu Governor’s case

and other precedents”. Through a Presidential reference under Article 143 of the Constitution, the government has asked the Supreme Court to overturn the two-judge bench judgment curbing

the powers of the governor to refuse assent to legislation. On May 13, President Droupadi Murmu sought the apex court’s advice on 14 questions in regard to assent of state bills by a

governor and the President under Articles 200 and 201 of the Constitution. The reference addresses various aspects of the recent judgment on the Tamil Nadu governor’s case where the Supreme

Court had set aside the governor’s decision to reserve 10 bills passed by the Tamil Nadu assembly for the President’s consideration. It held that all consequential steps taken by the

President on the bills were void. “This attempt clearly exposes the fact that the Tamil Nadu Governor acted at the BJP’s behest to undermine the people’s mandate,” Stalin said in his post.

Mr Stalin further asserted: “This is nothing but a desperate attempt to weaken democratically elected State Governments by placing them under the control of Governors serving as agents of

the Union Government. It also directly challenges the majesty of law and the authority of the Supreme Court as the final interpreter of the Constitution.” Advertisement