Tamil Nadu BJP Moves Governor Over Alleged Presence of Private Individuals In Cabinet Meeting

The Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday approached Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, seeking legal action over the alleged participation of two private individuals in a recent State Cabinet meeting, describing it as a serious breach of constitutional norms and Cabinet confidentiality.

A BJP delegation led by State president Nainar Nagenthran met the Governor at Lok Bhavan in Chennai and submitted two memoranda. The delegation included BJP national in-charge for Tamil Nadu Arvind Menon and party spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Nagenthran alleged that two individuals, John Arokiasamy and Vishnu Reddy, had attended the Cabinet meeting despite not being members of the Council of Ministers.

"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. He further appealed to the Governor to advise Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

According to the BJP, the presence of non-government individuals during Cabinet deliberations raises concerns over the confidentiality of discussions and adherence to established constitutional procedures. Cabinet meetings are generally attended only by ministers and officials specifically authorised to brief the Cabinet on particular agenda items.

In a post on X, Lok Bhavan confirmed that Governor Arlekar received the BJP delegation and accepted the memoranda submitted by the party leaders.

Apart from the Cabinet meeting issue, the BJP also raised concerns over the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu. Nagenthran alleged that the State had witnessed a rise in crimes, including murders, rape cases and drug trafficking incidents, and criticised the government for what he described as a lack of effective action. He also referred to allegations involving Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan and accused the government of failing to adequately address complaints against some ministers.

The memorandum comes amid continuing political friction between the BJP and the ruling government in Tamil Nadu, with the Opposition increasingly targeting the administration over governance and transparency issues.

At the time of publication, neither the Chief Minister's Office nor the State government had issued an official response to the BJP's allegations regarding the alleged presence of the two individuals at the Cabinet meeting. The identities, official roles and reasons for the presence of John Arokiasamy and Vishnu Reddy at the meeting have also not been publicly clarified.

If established, the issue could trigger a wider political and legal debate over Cabinet confidentiality and administrative protocol. However, the allegations currently remain those of the BJP, and no official inquiry into the matter has yet been announced.