Panneerselvam vs Sasikala: Indefinite delay on governor's part will encourage horse trading, says Soli Sorabjee
Soli Sorabjee, who advised Tamil Nadu Governor C Rao, said if the judgment in the assets case doesn't come in a day or two, the House should be called.
Sasikala Natarajan with Governor C Vidyasagar Rao.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 12, 2017 15:22 IST
With the power tussle between O Panneerselvam and Sasikala Natarajan taking a fresh twist every minute, all eyes are now on Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to take a call on who gets to be the chief minister of the state.
In an exclusive interview with India Today, Soli J Sorabjee, former Attorney General of India, said the "Governor is well within his right to defer swearing-in for a few days".
HERE ARE THE DEVELOPMENTS:
- Sorabjee advised Governor Rao on the current political crisis in Tamil Nadu. "Yes, the Governor sought my advice and I gave him mine. I can't discuss the content of my advice. For that you have to ask the Governor," Sorabjee said.
- Sorabjee, however, dropped enough hints that the Governor may take some more time before he takes the next step. "I feel the Governor is well within his rights to defer the swearing-in for a few days particularly when the (verdict in the) disproportionate assets case, involving Sasikala, is imminent," the former Attorney General of India said.
- The Supreme Court's verdict in the high-profile disproportionate assets case against former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, in which Sasikala Natarajan is also an accused, is likely to be pronounced this week. The case, however, is not listed for pronouncement on Monday.
- "The Governor can't defer it (swearing-in) indefinitely as it will encourage horse trading. See, we know the judgment will in all likelihood come on Tuesday or Wednesday. If it doesn't, then the House should be called and majority should be proven. No more deferment," Sorabjee said.
- He called the allegations against the Governor for delaying the swearing-in "not fair". Sasikala had accused Governor Rao of deliberately delaying her swearing-in as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu.
- Meanwhile, sources close to the Governor said the latter is not just thinking about numbers. The Governor, they said, is also considering "her (Sasikala's) ability to get elected as an MLA in view of the Supreme Court verdict" in the disproportionate assets case.
- Sources said the Governor believes he has the constitutional duty to provide a stable government in Tamil Nadu.
- BJP MP Subramanian Swamy also brought up the issue of horse trading in his latest tweet on the ongoing political crisis in Tamil Nadu. Swamy said Governor Rao must decide on the chief minister issue by tomorrow (Monday) or a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution can be filed against him, accusing him of abetting horse trading.
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