BJP State president Nainar Nagenthran and other leaders submit a memorandum to Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
| Photo Credit: X/@lokbhavan_tn
BJP State president Nainar Nagenthran on Saturday (July 4, 2026) called on Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan in Chennai and submitted a memorandum urging him to initiate legal action against the participation of “two private individuals” in the recently held Cabinet meeting.In a post on X, the Lok Bhavan said Mr. Nagenthran, along with Arvind Menon, BJP national in-charge for Tamil Nadu; and Narayanan Thirupathy, the party’s spokesperson, called on the Governor and submitted two memoranda.The first memorandum said, apart from the Ministers, “two private individuals” had attended the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on June 5. Their participation constituted “an illegal act and a violation of the oath of secrecy. Strongly condemning this transgression, it urged the Governor to initiate appropriate legal action,” the Lok Bhavan said, quoting the memorandum without naming the “two private individuals.”Interacting with reporters after meeting with the Governor, Mr. Nagenthran stated that the current government has failed to take action concerning law and order. “In the recently concluded Cabinet meeting, apart from the ministers, two external individuals — John Arokiasamy and Vishnu Reddy — also participated. We have submitted a petition to the Governor urging strict action on this matter,” he said.The memorandum also requested the Governor to advise the Chief Minister to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future, the Lok Bhavan said.Another memorandum alleged that Minister for Higher Education P. Viswanathan had “behaved inappropriately with a minor girl” and requested that a proper inquiry be conducted and appropriate action be taken in this regard.“Since this government assumed office, 151 cases of sexual assault, over 85 murders, and more than 80 drug trafficking incidents have occurred. There is no difference between the previous DMK government and the current regime. We have complained to the Governor that the administration has taken no concrete action regarding these incidents,” Mr. Nagenthran told the media.Mr. Nagendran also alleged that members of the ruling TVK themselves are involved in several criminal activities. He questioned why those who demand a white paper for every minor issue have not disclosed what actions have been taken regarding these serious crimes.On Governor conducting reviewWhen asked about Law Minister R. Nirmalkumar’s statement that the Governor should not conduct direct field inspections, Mr. Nagendran replied, “Under Article 167 of the Constitution, the Governor has the authority to review Central government schemes. He can inspect projects in the places he visits, and this should not be politicised. When the Governor visited Madurai, he looked at the Vaigai river and simply asked why there was no water. Later, while speaking at Saurashtra College, he expressed this view in his capacity as the State president of the Red Cross Society. What is wrong with that? The Governor has made no attempt to usurp the State government’s authority.”He further added, “Besides extending full cooperation for the formation of this government, he read out the Governor’s address in its entirety, despite it containing negative references to the Central government. Regarding the appointment of Vice-Chancellors to universities, he explicitly told the government to bring a list of qualified candidates quickly so he could approve them. In such a scenario, speaking disparagingly about him is uncalled for.”The BJP State president also leveled corruption charges against the government, alleging that bribes ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹50 lakh are being demanded for the appointment of public prosecutors in Tamil Nadu. Published - July 04, 2026 01:51 pm IST
