Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi refused to deliver his customary address to the Assembly today and walked out in protest of the National Anthem not being sung at the beginning of the address. As per tradition, the state anthem Tamil Thai Valthu is sung when the House meets and the National Anthem at the end. But Governor Ravi has taken exception to this norm and said the national anthem should be sung at both times.
“The Constitution of Bharat and the National Anthem were once again insulted in the Tamil Nadu Assembly today. Respecting the National Anthem is among the first Fundamental Duty as enshrined in our Constitution. It is sung in all the state legislatures at the beginning and the end of Governor’s address,” the Raj Bhavan said in a statement after the Governor walked out today. “Today on arrival of Governor to the House only Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu was sung. Governor respectfully reminded the House of its Constitutional Duty and fervently appealed to the Hon’ble Chief Minister who is the Leader of the House and the Hon’ble Speaker for singing the National Anthem. However, they cussedly refused. It is a matter of grave concern. Not to be a party to such brazen disrespect to the Constitution and the National Anthem, Governor in deep anguish left the House,” the Raj Bhavan added.
In response, Chief Minister MK Stalin said in a post on X that the Governor had made it a custom to violate the Assembly’s tradition and called his actions “childish”. “According to the Constitution, it is a tradition of legislative democracy for the state governor to read the government’s address at the beginning of the year! He has made it his custom to violate it @rajbhavan_TN. It is childish that the governor, who has cut out what was there and added what was not, has gone without reading it this time,” he said, referring to passages skipped by the Governor in his earlier speeches in Assembly.
“The Governor’s actions in continuously insulting the people of Tamil Nadu, the government elected by them, and the century-old Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly are unbecoming of the position he holds. Why should someone who is unwilling to perform their political and legal duties remain in office is the question on everyone’s mind!” he added.
After the Governor walked out, Assembly Speaker M Appavu delivered the customary address that was to be read by the Governor.
This is not the first time the Raj Bhavan and the DMK government have sparred over the custom in Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Last February, the Governor had refused to deliver the customary address to the Assembly and said the draft had “numerous passages with misleading claims far from truth”. The Raj Bhavan also said that the National Anthem must be shown due respect and played both at the beginning and end of the Governor’s address.
In 2022, R N Ravi refused to read parts of the speech that had the names of BR Ambedkar, Periyar, CN Annadurai besides the phrase ‘Dravidian Model’ and some references to law and order in Tamil Nadu. He had then walked out even without waiting for the national anthem after the House adopted a resolution to record only the official speech and not the Governor’s version.
Ever since he took over as Tamil Nadu Governor in 2021, Mr Ravi has had frosty ties with the MK Stalin-led state government. The DMK government has accused him of acting like a BJP spokesperson and blocking Bills and appointments. The Governor has said the Constitution empowers him to withhold his assent to legislation. The dispute between the Raj Bhavan and state government has also reached the Supreme Court and Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Supreme Court and Madras High Court have held that Governors ought to function on the aid and advice of the cabinet.
