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Tamil Nadu Governor storms out of assembly after ‘insult’, Stalin hits back
Amid the row, chief minister Stalin accused Governor RN Ravi of insulting the people of Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi on Tuesday cited "insult" to the national anthem, declined to read the customary state government-prepared speech for a third year in a row, and walked out of the state assembly on the opening day of its winter session, sparking a fresh spat with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
Chief minister MK Stalin responded by vowing to make efforts for a Constitutional amendment to eliminate the practice of the customary speech at the beginning of the year. He accused Ravi of insulting the people of Tamil Nadu and moved a resolution to record the English version of the governor's address as having been read.
Ravi and the DMK government have been at loggerheads since he was appointed as the governor in May 2021. He delivered the customary address in 2022. In 2023, he omitted portions of his speech and added his own comments. Ravi walked out of the House without reading the speech in 2024 and 2025.
The DMK has accused the Union government of seeking to centralise authority and using governors to interfere in affairs of non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled states like Tamil Nadu, which is due to go to the polls this year.
The governor’s office cited 12 reasons for Ravi's walkout and refusal to read the speech. “The National Anthem is yet again insulted...the Fundamental Constitutional Duty disregarded,” it said in a statement.
The state anthem “Tamil Thai Vazthu” is played at the beginning of a session, and the national anthem at the end. Ravi has, since 2025, insisted that the national anthem be played at the beginning too.
The governor's office said Ravi's mic was repeatedly switched off, and he was not allowed to speak. It added that the speech he refused to read contained unsubstantiated claims and misleading statements. The statement said women’s safety was ignored and the prevalence of narcotics and attacks against Dalits were bypassed, apart from a decline in the standard of education.
“Claims that the state attracted huge investments to the tune of over 12 lakh crores are far from the truth,” the statement said. It added that crucial high court directions on the restoration and preservation of ancient temples have not been implemented even after five years. “Several thousand temples in the state are without a Board of Trustees and are directly administered by the state government. Millions and millions of devotees are deeply hurt and frustrated with the mismanagement of temples. Sentiments of devotees callously ignored,” the governor’s office said.
Speaker M Appavu read the speech in Tamil after Ravi walked out, urging the BJP-led Union government to release funds due to Tamil Nadu. “It is a matter of grave concern that the Union government has been adopting an adverse attitude towards the state government, leading to the continued denial of approvals and financial allocations for several essential projects,” the speech prepared for the governor said.
It expressed disappointment that even during natural disasters such as cyclones Michaung and Fengal, the Union government released only meagre amounts. The speech said the funds under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme were not fully released. “Due to the non-release of Rs.3,548 crore, the state government has borne the entire expenditure of these schemes."
It urged the Union government to withdraw the VB-G-RAM-G scheme, replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The speech reiterated that the state will not accept a three-language formula and will oppose the imposition of Hindi.
Stalin said it is not good that the government prepares and sends a speech every year, and the governor disagrees with it without reading it properly. “Governors acting as an obstacle to state governments is happening not only here but also in various states…It is the practice for the governor to read the government's policy statement properly at the beginning of the year. When someone continues to violate that practice, the question of why such rules should be kept naturally arises in everyone's mind."
