Governor walks out of Tamil Nadu assembly amid standoff with govt

Governor RN Ravi left the House as chief minister M K Stalin moved a resolution, saying only the customary speech the government has prepared for the first day of the House’s winter session will go on record

Governor RN Ravi on Monday walked out of the assembly before the national anthem was played as chief minister M K Stalin moved a resolution, saying only the customary speech the government has prepared for the first day of the House’s winter session will go on record. Stalin intervened when Ravi skipped words such as the Dravidian model of governance as he read out the written speech.

Governor R Ravi. (ANI)

Lawmakers of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance earlier disrupted Ravi’s address for calling the 50-year rule of the Dravidian parties regressive and suggesting the state’s renaming. Congress and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi members raised slogans against Ravi.

The state government and Ravi have been at loggerheads over a range of issues including his refusal to approve 20 bills. The DMK and its allies have accused Ravi of propagating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Hindutva ideology.

On Sunday, the DMK accused Ravi of unnecessarily interfering in state politics and demanded his resignation if he wants to continue with this.

Ravi last week criticised the government for opposing what is “applicable for the whole of the country” and said Tamil Nadu should be renamed Tamizhagam. He added there has been regressive politics with a “wrong habit” of refusing everything that benefits all sections of people.

The DMK hit back saying Ravi was attempting to set a narrative to change the name of the state.

The BJP justified the comments, saying the landmass of the state has been referred to as both Tamizhagam and Tamil Nadu in Tamil literature.