Tamil Nadu assembly records ‘agony’ as Governor skipsportions of address

Even as Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, in the middle of a row with the DMK-led state government, was in Delhi on Friday to meet senior government officials, the state assembly officially “recorded its agony” over his omission of portions of the Governor’s address to the House on January 9.

Even as Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, in the middle of a row with the DMK-led state government, was in Delhi on Friday to meet senior government officials, the state assembly officially “recorded its agony” over his omission of portions of the Governor’s address to the House on January 9.

VCK chief Thirumavalavan during a stir against Governor RN Ravi, near Raj Bhawan in Chennai on Friday. (ANI)

Ravi has been at loggerheads with the DMK and its allies over the past few weeks, criticising Dravidian parties, suggesting the use of the word “Thamizhagam” for the state instead of Tamil Nadu, then omitting parts of the speech that were sent to him by the Tamil Nadu government. In a letter to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday, delivered by a DMK delegation led by law minister S Regupathy, chief minister MK Stalin said the Governor was engaged in an ideological battle with the government, acting in violation of the Constitution, and demanded that he should be asked to abide by Cabinet decisions.

Governor Ravi’s office confirmed that he was in the national capital for meetings with top representatives of the government, but declined to give details.

Stalin spoke on the floor of the Tamil Nadu assembly on Friday, and said that he did not want to “repeat the events of that day and politicise” the issue. “I do not want to repeat the version of events that happened that day. But at the same time, I am very aware of the reason I have been elected to power… I have been elected to preserve the pride of Tamilian people,” he said.

Soon after Ravi’s speech, Stalin put forth a resolution in the assembly that only the printed version of the speech go on record, following which the Governor left in a hurry, even before the national anthem could be played. But Ravi’s invitation for the coming Pongal celebration stoked further controversy with its use of the term Thamizhagam, and the national symbol instead of the state one.

Stalin said that in the last year, he had travelled over 9,000 kilometres across Tamil Nadu, and ensured benefits reached 10.3 million beneficiaries. He clarified that his government was not against “religion” but against communalism.