"Only solution now is to end practice": TN CM Stalin after Karnataka Governor's walkout

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 22 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin called for ending the practice of starting the first annual state assembly session with the Governor's address, after Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot walked out of the Assembly, without reading the complete address drafted by the state government.
Reacting to Ghelot's walkout from the Karnataka assembly, Tamil Nadu CM alleged that the Governors are now behaving like "party agents". According to Stalin, this practice undermines duly elected state governments.
In a post on X, Stalin said, "First Tamil Nadu. Then Kerala. Now Karnataka. The pattern is clear and deliberate. Governors refusing to read the speech prepared by state governments and behaving like party agents, undermining duly elected state governments. As I stated earlier, the only solution now is to end the practice of commencing the first annual Assembly session with the #Governor's address."
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister further declared that DMK will consult like-minded opposition parties across India and will demand a constitutional amendment in the next parliamentary session to abolish this practice.
"#DMK will consult like-minded opposition parties across India and pursue a constitutional amendment in the very next parliamentary session to abolish this obsolete and irrelevant practice," added Stalin.
Earlier, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot walked out of the Assembly without reading the full address drafted by the state government. The Governor reportedly read only the first and last lines of his customary address to the joint session before leaving the House.
Despite attempts by Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad stopped the Governor at the Assembly gate and requested him to complete the speech, but Gehlot refused the demand.
Following the incident, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah alleged that the Governor violated the Constitution by not reading the Cabinet-approved address at the year's first joint session. He declared that a decision on approaching the Supreme Court will be taken after due discussion.
"By not reading the address prepared by the Cabinet at the first joint session of the year, the Hon'ble Governor of Karnataka has violated the Constitution. This act amounts to an affront to the House of elected representatives. We strongly condemn this, and after due discussion, a decision will be taken on approaching the Supreme Court," said Siddaramiah.
This incident comes in the wake of Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi walking out without delivering his address on the opening day of the first session of the Legislative Assembly.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accused Governor Arlekar of making additions and deletions to the policy address approved by the Council of Ministers, and requested the Legislative Assembly to accept the Cabinet-approved version as the authentic policy document.
In its response, Lok Bhavan stated that the Governor had asked that "half-truths be removed from the draft of the policy address. In response, the government had stated that the Governor could prepare and read the policy address with such amendments as he deemed appropriate. It was also indicated that the speech would be resent, incorporating the changes suggested by Lok Bhavan. (ANI)