Tamil Nadu Governor skips customary address, walks out of Assembly; Stalin terms it ‘childish’
DMK announces statewide protest against Governor Ravi for ‘continuously insulting’ State anthem and the State
Chennai: In yet another Governor versus government face-off in Tamil Nadu, the former walked out of the Assembly without delivering his customary address on Monday, opposing what he described as ‘disrespect’ to the Constitution and the national anthem by the ruling DMK.
Chief Minister MK Stalin dubbed Ravi’s behaviour ‘childish,’ and accused him of continuously insulting the people of the State, the elected government and the Assembly as well, which was unbecoming to the post he holds. DMK announced a statewide protest against Ravi on Tuesday for ‘continuously insulting’ State anthem, (invocation to Mother Tamil) and the State.
The matter snowballed into a war of words between the Raj Bhavan and the ruling dispensation and Ravi said he had always upheld the sanctity of the State song, “Tamil Thaai Vazhthu,” and he said he “sings it with reverence at every event.”
On the arrival of Governor, the State song was played in the Assembly and when the proceedings were about to commence, and a few moments before Ravi began making his remarks, members of the main opposition AIADMK gathered in front of him, and raised slogans, holding placards. At the same time, as Congress MLAs too moved forward and raised slogans against Ravi while wearing black badges, what transpired could not be properly understood in the din. The AIADMK members were evicted en masse by marshalls following Speaker M Appavu’s order for causing disruption and they continued to raise slogans by gathering in the corridors.
Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami later told reporters outside the House, they intended attracting the government’s attention over the Anna University student sexual assault case by carrying placards inside the assembly.
Congress staged a walkout condemning the Governor, the BJP and PMK over the varsity student assault case. While Appavu gave directives in respect of proceedings in the House, Governor Ravi slammed, “total censorship of proceedings of Tamil Nadu Assembly today, reminds the country of Emergency days.” After the Governor left the House, Speaker Appavu read out the Tamil version of the customary address, which Palaniswami said was “Speaker’s address, not Governor’s address, a first in history.”
Such an address, though appeared like an air-filled balloon, there was nothing inside except for DMK regime’s self-publicity, the AIADMK chief alleged. The AIADMK’s aim is to get justice for the victim and punishment for the true perpetrators of the crime. BJP leader K Annamalai said the Governor only sought playing of national anthem after the state song was sung in the House.
He posted on ‘X’ a TN Assembly record of 1991 and said in July that year, for the first time, both the state and national anthems were played during commencement and conclusion of the Governor’s Address when late J Jayalalithaa was the CM.
