Modi govt stifling elected State govts using Governors, Rahul stands by Stalin

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the government of "misusing" governors to "stifle voices and obstruct elected state governments", saying this is a dangerous assault on federalism.

In a post on X, he said this must be resisted as each Indian state has its own voice.

"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. This is a dangerous assault on federalism and it must be resisted," the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha wrote.

Gandhi tagged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin's post in which he condemned the Union government's presidential reference, saying, it "attempts to subvert the Constitutional position already settled by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the Tamil Nadu Governor's case and other precedents".

"This attempt clearly exposes the fact that the Tamil Nadu Governor acted at the BJP's behest to undermine the people's mandate.

"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," Statin had said in his post on X.