TN Governor warns DMK against bid to 'overawe' his office; Stalin firm on protest
Chennai, June 24: Even as Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit's office on Sunday warned that anybody trying to overawe the Governor will be dealt with sternly, DMK leader M.K. Stalin said their protest against Purohit's visits to districts will continue.
In a statement issued here, the Raj Bhavan said the Governor would continue his visits to districts in the coming months and the Office of Governor was protected under Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Any attempt to overawe or assault or use criminal force would be dealt with as per the law, it said.
Reacting to the statement, Stalin said the Governor had threatened the DMK and was also indulging in direct politics which was condemnable.
Stalin said the party would continue its protest against Purohit's visits to districts and meeting the officials there.
The Raj Bhavan statement said: "Whoever, with the intention of inducing or compelling the President of India, or the Governor of any State, to exercise or refrain from exercising in any manner any of the lawful powers of such President or Governor, assaults or wrongfully restrains, or attempts wrongfully to restrain, or overawes, by means of criminal force or the show of criminal force, or attempts so to overawe, such President or Governor, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine."
Referring to a news item that Stalin sought to lay siege to the area around Raj Bhavan to protest against the district visits of Purohit, the statement categorically said that "the Governor enjoys full authority and freedom to visit any part of the state".
According to Stalin, the Governors of West Bengal or in Madhya Pradesh were not holding any review meetings at the district level.
Claiming a right that was not in existence and issuing a statement on behalf of the Governor was against the principle of federalism, he said
The Raj Bhavan statement said: "The use of the word 'review' by the Leader of the Opposition (Stalin) is an attempt to mislead the people. He is either ignorant of the law or attempting to overawe by threatening to besiege Raj Bhavan or block the roads leading to the Raj Bhavan."
To this, Stalin retorted: "If calling district officials for a meeting and deliberating on their programmes was not review then what it is?"
Stalin also wondered why Raj Bhavan did not send any clarification to the media houses not to describe his meetings with district officials as "review meetings".
The Raj Bhavan statement said Purohit, during his initial district visits, was engaged in trying to inform the Leader of the Opposition and other members of the opposing parties about the legal position by inviting them to Raj Bhavan.
"Sufficient time was given for understanding the law so as to change course and abide by it."
As the Head of the Executive, the Governor enjoys unhindered freedom to meet and interact with officials of the state who are members of the executive wing, according to the Raj Bhavan statement.
"The Governor has to be familiar with the features, characteristics and the problems faced by people in various districts to take right decisions at critical times and also to send meaningful reports monthly to the Indian President."
The statement added that Purohit during his district visits had not criticised any official or given any direction.
On Saturday, the DMK led by Stalin took out a procession to Raj Bhavan protesting against the arrest of party cadres in Namakkal, around 390 km from here, for showing black flags to Purohit during his visit on Friday.
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Lakshya stuns Li Shi to enter All England semifinals
Birmingham (PTI): Lakshya Sen continued his dream run and kept India's hopes afloat at the All England Open, stunning China's world No. 6 Li Shi Feng in straight games to storm into the semifinals here.
The world No. 12 Indian, who was a finalist here in 2022, ousted Li 21-13, 21-16 in the men’s singles quarterfinal that lasted an hour at the Utilita Arena on Friday.
The win also served as a sweet revenge for Lakshya, who had lost to the same opponent at the quarterfinal stage of the 2025 edition.
Lakshya dominated the opening game and built a comfortable lead before Li attempted a comeback midway through.
The Indian, however, stepped up his attack to close out the game convincingly.
The second game saw a closer contest with both the players trading points in the early exchanges.
Lakshya held a slender lead at the mid-game interval and then pulled away in the closing stages to seal the match.
The victory also improved Lakshya's head-to-head record against Li Shi Feng to eight wins in 15 matches.
Lakshya, the top-ranked Indian badminton player who also made the semifinals here in 2024, is now the only Indian left in the fray this year.
He had earlier stunned world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yuqi in the opening round.
He will face Canada’s world No. 16 Victor Lai in the semifinals.
The other Indian players were knocked out earlier in the week. The men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost in the first round, while Malvika Bansod and Unnati Hooda also bowed out in the opening round of women’s singles.
Two-time Olympian PV Sindhu had withdrawn from the tournament after failing to reach Birmingham in time due to travel disruptions in the Middle East, while the mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila retired from their match on Thursday.
