© Provided by India Today Who’s Governor working for? DMK mouthpiece slams RN Ravi over online gambling bill

The DMK’s mouthpiece, Murasoli, carried an editorial criticising Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi for returning the bill that sought to ban online gambling. As per the editorial, titled “How many more lives will be lost?”, at least 44 people have died by suicide in the state due to online gambling.

“Governor RN Ravi says that the Tamil Nadu legislature doesn’t have the competency to pass a law banning online gambling, four months after it was passed by the assembly. The Governor needs four months to know if a new born baby is a girl or a boy,” the editorial read.

Also Read | Governors speak more, hear less: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin amid row over anti-gambling bill

“Should the state government remain a mute spectator to a game that promotes greed, cheats people, robs them of their money, results in suicides and destroys families? Isn’t it the duty of the state government to maintain law and order, protect the people, and crackdown on fraudsters and cheaters? The governor of the state is saying that this duty must not be performed. What can be more illegal than this? Who is the governor working for?” it asked.

“The media reported that representatives of several gaming companies met the Governor. The Raj Bhavan has not denied this as per information available in the public. It must be identified as to who is behind the move of the Governor returning the bill back to the assembly,” it further added.

Last year, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin formed a committee to study the impact of online rummy as cases of women dying by suicide after losing their life’s savings in online gambling began to emerge.

Also Read | Tamil Nadu CM Stalin forms panel to study impact of online gambling