Vijay can go to court over TN deadlock, says ex-AG Mukul Rohatgi

Former AG Mukul Rohatgi advises TVK chief Vijay to approach courts over the Tamil Nadu govt formation deadlock. Citing judicial precedents, he questions the delay in inviting the single largest party and warns against President's Rule.

Senior Advocate and former Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi on Saturday said that TVK chief Vijay can approach the courts over the continuing deadlock in government formation in Tamil Nadu, asserting that judicial intervention in such situations has precedents. Speaking to ANI on the political situation in the state, Rohatgi said, "Vijay can move to the court. I have noticed that some petition has already been filed in the Supreme Court, though I do not know by whom. The court can certainly step in, as it has done in many cases."

Citing Precedents

Referring to earlier constitutional disputes involving government formation, Rohatgi said he had personally appeared in several such matters, including the 2018 Karnataka case involving B. S. Yediyurappa. "I myself have handled several such matters -- starting from the floor test for Yediyurappa in 2018, and so on. In fact, in Yediyurappa's case, the court ordered a floor test the very next day, in a midnight hearing, and he failed," he said.

Rohatgi noted that the short time granted in that case was due to concerns over possible horse-trading. Drawing a comparison with the present Tamil Nadu situation, he questioned why Vijay had still not been invited to form the government despite emerging as the leader of the single largest party. "This man received a mandate on 4 May, and today is 9 May, yet he has not been given an opportunity. I believe this is wrong," he said.

Warning Against Undemocratic Outcomes

Rohatgi further cautioned against the possibility of fresh elections or the imposition of President's Rule in the state, describing both outcomes as undemocratic under the current circumstances. "We should not be staring at either a new election or President's Rule, as both would be undemocratic in these circumstances. President's Rule would only lead to another election, which cannot happen immediately. It would take three or four months. In my view, that would be disastrous," he added.

Tamil Nadu Political Stalemate

The remarks come amid a continuing stalemate over government formation in Tamil Nadu. Vijay met Governor RV Arlekar on Friday for the third time in three days and staked a claim to form the government. TVK emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly elections with 108 seats in the 234-member House. The Congress has extended support through its five MLAs, while Left parties have added four legislators, taking the alliance tally to 116 -- still short of the majority mark of 118. The role of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, which has two MLAs, is now being closely watched as its support could help Vijay cross the majority threshold. (ANI)

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