Stalin urges CMs of non-BJP ruled states to oppose Presidential reference in SC
Chennai(PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday urged his counterparts in 8 states, including West Bengal, to oppose the Presidential reference to Supreme Court on deadlines for the President, Governor over Bills and batted for a coordinated legal strategy.
Stalin, president of the Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK said, it is well known that the advisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court cannot be invoked or exercised when the issue in question has already been decided by an authoritative pronouncement of the court.
"Yet, the BJP government has pressed ahead with seeking a reference, which points to their sinister intent," he alleged.
He requested the chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states to oppose this reference sought by the President before the Supreme Court.
Writing to them, in a letter dated May 17, he said: "We must evolve a coordinated legal strategy before the court and present a united front to preserve and protect the basic structure of the Constitution, as upheld by our Supreme Court in its historic judgement (State of Tamil Nadu vs Governor of Tamil Nadu). I look forward to your immediate and personal intervention in this vital issue."
Besides West Bengal, Stalin wrote to the chief ministers of Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Jharkhand, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Tamil Nadu chief minister said President Droupadi Murmu, under the advice of the Union government, posed the Supreme Court 14 questions, under Article 143 of the Constitution on 13 May, 2025.
Though the reference does not specifically refer to any state or judgement, its intent is to question the findings on law and interpretation of the Constitution given by the Supreme Court in the case of State of Tamil Nadu vs Governor of Tamil Nadu. This historic judgement is not only for Tamil Nadu but for all states since it upholds the federal structure and distribution of powers between the States and the Union, thus effectively preventing the obstruction of legislations enacted by democratically elected state legislatures by an appointee of the union and an unelected figurehead - the governor.
BJP-led union government has used governors to obstruct and impede functioning of opposition ruled states. They inordinately delay assent to Bills, withhold assent without valid constitutional or legal reasons, sit over routine files and government orders sent for signature, interfere in appointments to important posts and have abused their position as chancellor of universities to politicise educational institutions.
"They have been able to do so by taking advantage of the fact that the Constitution is silent on certain issues, because the framers of the Constitution trusted that those holding high constitutional office would act in accordance with constitutional morality." It was in this context that the Supreme Court passed the landmark judgement in the TN Governor's case.
"Now this judgement will ensure that the Union Government does not unduly interfere with the State Governments performing our roles and responsibilities within the spheres given to us under the Constitution."
Obviously, the BJP is attempting to unsettle this judgement, which can be invoked as a precedent by other states when faced with an obstinate governor. The BJP government advised the President to seek a reference before the Supreme Court and it was a ploy, Stalin alleged.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
