Amid growing tensions against him for returning the anti-NEET Bill, that was overwhelmingly passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly last September, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi is all set for a crucial trip to Delhi. The announcement about his trip was made on Friday - February 4, a day ahead of the all-party meeting that has been convened by Chief Minister MK Stalin to discuss the next move on the state's efforts to repeal the single-window national exam. 

According to reports, RN Ravi will be taking-off to Delhi from Chennai on February 7 and his tour has been planned for three days. He will be coming back to Chennai on February 9 and his trip will be in the national spotlight, unlike his preceding ones. In a usual fashion, a state governor won't be having a three-day tour to the capital with some exemptions for governors' summits. As the state is in an extraordinary situation over his decision to return the anti-NEET bill to the assembly, he has planned to meet higher officials and so his itinerary has been planned for three days. 

The reports say that RN Ravi would be meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi and would brief them about the ongoing tensions in the state against him. When the announcement about his trip was made, Tamil Nadu has been trending the hashtag #GetOutRavi on social media platforms and even the ruling DMK government has been miffed over his action of sending the Bill back.

Last September, the MK Stalin administration has passed the Bill in the assembly to exempt the state from the NEET as the national exam is against social justice. The Bill was sent to the Governor and amid demands and protests to press him to consent to the Bill, he has now announced that he has returned the Bill, five months after it was tabled before him, by citing that the Bill has been against the interests of the students. While the DMK government is in the process of taking the next move, MK Stalin has quoted the statement of late DMK stalwart CN Annadurai on whether the state needs a Governor. 

Several DMK and allied party leaders had voiced against Governor RN Ravi and urged the Union government to withdraw him from the state. The statement from the Governor's Office has on Thursday said, "The Hon'ble Governor of Tamil Nadu, after a detailed study of the L.A. (Legislative Assembly) Bill No. 43 of 2021 for admission to undergraduate medical courses seeking exemption from NEET, and the report of the high-level committee constituted by the state government in this regard which is the basis for the bill and also examining the pre-NEET status of social justice in medical admission especially for students coming from socially and economically poor background, is of the opinion that the Bill is against interests of the students especially the rural and economically poor students of the state." 

Besides political leaders, several faces from the judiciary have also been slamming the Governor over his action. Former Madras High Court Judge Justice Chandru has slammed RN Ravi for his action of sending back the Bill and asked whether he is the leader for four MLAs (BJP) and whether he is insulting the assembly that has 234 members. Highlighting that there is no legal course in the Governor's action, Chandru said that Ravi has abused his powers. 

Chandru said, "The question of giving some advice to the state government will arise only in administrative procedure, not legislative procedure. The Governor can only forward the Bill as it relates to the Concurrent List. But this Governor had exercised his power, not on the grounds of constitutionality but in the interests of the beneficiaries. Such a decision can be taken only by the Assembly and not by the Governor." He further said that the decision from the Governor has disregarded the resolution of 230 MLAs who had supported the Bill, while four BJP MLAs had voted against it.

Senior Lawyer and DMK MP P Wilson has said that the Governor's act of returning the Bill was in defiance of the constitutional powers granted to him. He said, "The Governor does not possess the power to examine the Bill or return the Bill. He can forward it to the President for assent. It is only the President who is authorized to examine the Bill and approve or reject it." The DMK government has been planning to pass the legislation again and send it back to the Governor. Amid these developments, Governor RN Ravi is preparing for his visit to Delhi and the state awaits to witness how his visit unfolds.