A political row erupted in Tamil Nadu on Friday after Governor Rajendra Arlikar said his office would take the lead in restoring the stagnant Vaigai river if necessary, drawing sharp criticism from the ruling Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam government and attacks from the opposition.
Addressing a college in Madurai on Thursday, Arlikar said he was surprised that there was no water flowing in the Vaigai river.
“When I was coming from Madurai Circuit, when we were crossing a bridge, he (the governor’s personal assistant) showed me this river. Its name is Vaigai River. I was surprised. Do you call this river? Where is the water? There was no water in Vaigai River,” he said.
Arlikar called on young people to work towards reviving the river:
“Let us decide to get water in this river now. This will be our main task, young men of Madurai. We will try to do it.”
He added, “The entire power of our youth should be in the development of our country, our society and our state and this is the development we need. Just imagine if we get water in this river, what civilization will be there on the banks of the river. The power of our youth should decide this. Someone should take the lead. If not someone, then Lok Bhavan will take the lead in these matters. We will develop this and see that water again flows through this Vaigai river. We will work for this. The power of our youth should be directed.”
These statements sparked a strong reaction from the ruling TVK government. Minister of State for Energy Resources and Law R. Nimalkumar said the governor was acting outside the scope of the powers of his office.
“However, the governor has no right to come and inspect without any such authority, and this government will not allow it.”
He added: “If the governor unnecessarily interferes anywhere in the administration of this government or attempts to conduct inspections, he will be strongly condemned. We expressly request on behalf of this government that no official extend any cooperation without the approval of the government.”
Nimalkumar said such actions would create “undue confusion” when there is an elected government.
The opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) also criticized the development.
“While the Tamil Nadu government is taking care of the maintenance of the Governor’s Palace (Lok Bhavan), he (Arlikar) spoke aggressively, claiming that if the government does not reclaim the Vaigai River, the Governor’s Palace will come into the field. The absolute incompetence of the ruling party is the only reason behind the Governor’s foolish audacity,” Udhayanidhi Stalin said.
“We had previously questioned in the Legislative Council about the compromise reached to the extent that the importance of the Tamil Thai Vasthhu (state anthem) at government events attended by the Governor has diminished,” the former Deputy Prime Minister added.
“Members of the ruling party, who failed to give a proper answer to this, have now fully exposed themselves by allowing the governor to conduct inspections and infringe upon state rights.”
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), which provides external support to the Tamil Nadu government, also criticized the governor’s remarks.
State Minister P Shanmugam said: “If the Governor has any opinions or views, he must bring them to the Prime Minister’s attention to find a solution. Instead, the Governor acting independently is completely against the powers vested in him under the Constitution.”
Defending Arlikar, former Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan said the governor had only raised a genuine public issue.
“The Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu rightly stated that if the state government failed to act, Lok Bhavan would step in to support the efforts. That message was about public welfare, not politics,” he said.
“The real issue is not the Governor’s visit to Madurai. The real issue is the polluted state of our rivers. Tamil Nadu deserves action, not political diversion,” she added.
