After Tamil Nadu, Governor-state government standoff erupts in Kerala

After Tamil Nadu, it is the Kerala government vs Governor.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan objected in the Legislative Assembly to changes made by the Governor in the customary policy declaration speech delivered at the start of the budget session, saying the address must reflect only the version approved by the Council of Ministers.

Raising the issue immediately after the Governor’s address, the Chief Minister said the House and the Chair should take note that several additions and omissions had been made in the speech read out by the Governor, even though the Constitution and established parliamentary practice require that the policy declaration remain exactly as cleared by the Cabinet.

TN Governor walks out

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi once again walked out of the House on Tuesday (January 20) without delivering the customary address, citing disrespect to the national anthem and profound disagreements with the government-drafted speech.

The session commenced as per tradition with the rendition of Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu, the state anthem. Expectations were high for the Governor’s address, but Ravi refused to proceed, alleging that the national anthem had not been played at the outset.

Also Read: TN Governor RN Ravi walks out of Assembly, yet again, amid anthem row

Sources indicate that he insisted that the national anthem should replace Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu in the proceedings. Without reading any part of the address, he exited the chamber, sparking widespread commotion and uproar among the members.

In the aftermath, the assembly unanimously passed a resolution deeming the Governor’s address as having been read, in line with procedural norms.

Cabinet-approved text

Pinarayi reminded the Assembly that under Article 176 of the Constitution, the Governor addresses the House at the first session of every year, and that the speech represents the government’s policy position. Therefore, the Chief Minister said, the Cabinet-approved text alone has constitutional validity.

According to the Chief Minister, changes were made in three paragraphs of the original policy declaration. He said the substance and intent of these paragraphs had been altered through selective deletion and addition.

He pointed out that the first sentence of paragraph 12 in the Cabinet-approved text stated that despite Kerala’s social and institutional achievements, the state was facing severe financial stress due to continued adverse actions by the Union government that weaken the constitutional principles of fiscal federalism. This sentence, he said, was omitted in the version read out by the Governor.

Key omissions

In paragraph 15, the Chief Minister said, the last two sentences were removed. These sentences referred to the long delay in clearing bills passed by state legislatures and stated that the Kerala government had approached the Supreme Court and that the matter had been referred to a Constitution Bench. The omission of these lines, he said, removed an important part of the government’s official position on the issue.

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In paragraph 16, the cabinet approved text said that the states’ share of taxes and Finance Commission grants are constitutional rights and not acts of generosity, and that any pressure on constitutional institutions entrusted with these responsibilities weakens federal principles. The Chief Minister said the Governor added the phrase “my government believes” before this sentence, which changed the tone and ownership of the statement.

Original version

The Chief Minister stressed that the Cabinet-approved version alone represents the government’s policy declaration and that it must be treated as the authoritative document. He informed the Chair that the government had printed and distributed the original version of the speech, including the portions that were omitted in the Governor’s address and excluding the additions made.

He requested that this printed version be formally recognised as the official policy declaration of the government.

At the same time, the Governor did read several passages from the speech that criticised the central government. These included references to the impact of Union government policies on Kerala’s finances and on welfare schemes. However, the Chief Minister said selective omissions still undermined the completeness of the government’s stated position.

Governor-govt row

The issue once again highlighted the continuing tension between the elected government and the Raj Bhavan over the role of the Governor in legislative proceedings. The Chief Minister underlined that repeated rulings from the Chair in earlier assemblies had clarified that the Governor’s address must strictly follow the Cabinet-approved text.

He said any deviation from this practice goes against constitutional conventions and weakens the authority of the elected government in presenting its policies before the legislature.

The policy declaration speech is traditionally used by governments to outline their priorities, defend their policy direction and place their political and administrative positions on record. In Kerala, it has also become a forum for articulating the state’s concerns over federal relations, financial devolution and the functioning of constitutional authorities.

In this year’s address, while several references to central policies were retained, the Chief Minister argued that the deletion of specific lines diluted the clarity of the government’s criticism regarding fiscal federalism, delays in assent to state bills and pressure on constitutional institutions.

Governor's ceremonial role

The Chief Minister said the Governor’s role in delivering the address is ceremonial in nature and that the content belongs entirely to the elected government.

He also reminded the House that the Cabinet bears responsibility to the legislature and the people for every word in the policy declaration, and therefore, it cannot allow any part of it to be modified without its consent.

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The government’s move to circulate the original version of the speech was presented as a corrective step to ensure that the official record reflects the cabinet’s approved position.

The matter was placed before the Chair without disruption, and the Chief Minister concluded by requesting that the Assembly recognise the distributed version as the authentic policy declaration speech for the current session.

Focus on constitutional procedure

The development came on the opening day of the budget session, which is expected to see intense debates on Kerala’s financial condition, Centre-state relations, and pending legislative proposals.

While the Governor’s address covered a wide range of developmental and administrative issues, the Chief Minister’s intervention ensured that the focus shifted quickly to constitutional procedure and the limits of gubernatorial discretion.

By raising the issue formally in the House, the government sought to assert that policy ownership lies solely with the elected executive and that constitutional conventions cannot be altered by individual interpretation.