Tamil Nadu CM Stalin slams governor for returning anti-gambling bill

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday slammed Governor RN Ravi for returning the online gambling prohibition bill four months after it was passed by the State legislature.

On Wednesday, the Governor sent back the bill to prohibit online gambling and to regulate online games in the State. The Governor sent back the bill after four months and has sought further clarifications regarding the bill.

While speaking at the inauguration of the second India-UK offshore summit in Chennai, Stalin said, "He (Governor) refused to give assent even to an anti-gambling law, saying the govt has no right to pass such a law. He is saying this after four months. We asked for NEET Prohibition Bill, but he took a long time to send the bill to the President."

On Friday, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) mouthpiece Murasoli hit out at the Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, days after he returned the online gambling prohibition bill, passed by the State legislature.

The ruling party in its mouthpiece again raised concerns regarding online gambling and said that its influence of it is leading to a number of suicides in the State.

"Many people in Tamil Nadu are being cheated because of online gambling, and it is leading to suicides. By witnessing all this, would the State government remain inactive? Do the State Government don't have any responsibility to curb online gambling?" it had asked.

The mouthpiece said that the Governor is not allowing the State government, which is doing its job to eradicate the cases of online gambling in the State.

Taking a jibe at the State government's decision to return the bill, Murasoli in its article had further written that the "brave" Governor is not publicly supporting online gambling.

"Brave Governor returned the bill citing that the State government is not competent to pass the bill. Instead, he should say that the 'online rummy' shouldn't be banned as it is a good game, being carried from Mahabharatha time," it had read.

"The Governor should have said that it [gambling] continues from the period of Mahabaratha and that one good state's government should encourage such games. But the Governor is not saying this," it had read further.

On Wednesday, Governor RN Ravi on Wednesday sent back the bill to the state government meant to prohibit online gambling and the regulation of online games, passed by the Assembly on October 19, 2022.

The Governor returned the bill after four months and also sought further clarification regarding the bill from the state government.

Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Regupathy on October 19, 2022, presented a bill in the state assembly to ban online gambling games. The Bill was introduced for banning online gambling platforms including Rummy and Poker.

The Tamil Nadu government in March had stated that they were committed to banning these online platforms and also asserted that they have been making efforts to invoke the laws that serve the said purpose.