Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi was unable to “digest” that the State was developing and his decision not to address the Assembly was “childish”, Chief Minister MK Stalin said on Saturday. The state Legislative Assembly has been witnessing strange scenes for the last few years after Ravi took over as Governor, he said. “The Governor comes to the Assembly but returns without addressing the House. That’s why I had said that his actions were childish,” Stalin told the Assembly.
As per Article 176 of the Constitution, the Governor has to deliver his address to the Legislative Assembly at the commencement of the session. “But he appears to be keen on violating the rules in a planned manner,” the CM said winding up the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address.
In 2022, this Governor delivered his address without altering the speech. But in the following three years, he avoided delivering his customary address citing ‘absurd’ reasons, the Chief Minister said. Singing the Tamil anthem (Tamil Thai Valthu) before the session starts and playing the national anthem after the address has been the tradition for long. “I think, the Governor is unable to digest the fact that Tamil Nadu is developing. I may be an ordinary person but this Legislative Assembly came into existence due to the feelings of crore of people,” Stalin said.
This House cannot bear to see the Governor doing something with political motives that drags the position and responsibility he held by not respecting the dignity of this Assembly, not respecting the people’s feelings, and ‘daring’ to insult the Tamil anthem. “We should not see such things again,” the Chief Minister added.
On January 6, Ravi left the Assembly without delivering the customary address. The Raj Bhavan later said that he left ‘in deep anguish’ as the national anthem wasn’t played. “Disrespecting the Constitution does not augur well for democracy,” the Governor had then said. Reacting, Stalin had said, “it was childish of the Governor choosing not to read the government address.”
