Raghav Chadha, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), referred to the removal of DMK politician and current Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji as outrightly unconstitutional on Thursday.According to Chadha, in accordance with the Constitution, the Governor is only permitted to suggest to the chief minister that a sitting minister be removed from office rather than taking unilateral action.Taking it to Twitter, Raghav Chadha said, “As per our Constitution,it is under the exclusive domain of Chief Minister to 1.Appoint ministers 2.Reshuffle portfolios 3.Remove a minister Governor has to merely publish recommendations of CM Dismissal of V. Senthil Balaji by Tamil Nadu Governor is outrightly unconstitutional.”As per our Constitution,it is under the exclusive domain of Chief Minister to1.Appoint ministers2.Reshuffle portfolios3.Remove a ministerGovernor has to merely publish recommendations of CMDismissal of V. Senthil Balaji by Tamil Nadu Governor is outrightly unconstitutional— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) June 29, 2023Governor of Tamil Nadu RN Ravi earlier removed V Senthil Balaji, a member of the DMK who is currently imprisoned, with immediate effect from the Council of Ministers. Notably, the minister was previously detained in connection with a case involving a cash-for-jobs fraud.In a number of allegations of corruption, including accepting payment in cash for jobs and money laundering, Minister V Senthil Balaji is subject to significant criminal proceedings. According to a notification from the Raj Bhavan in Tamil Nadu, “Governor has removed him from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect due to these circumstances.”As per sources, V Senthil Balaji was admitted to a government hospital in Chennai after complaining of chest symptoms following his detention by the ED. But on June 15, the Madras High Court authorised his transfer to the private hospital of his choice.
