Fourth Assembly walkout in four years: TN Guv Ravi does it again

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Tuesday walked out of the state Assembly without delivering his customary address to the House in its maiden session of the year, alleging among others, “inaccuracies” in the DMK government prepared text. This was the fourth such walkout in a row by Ravi ever since he assumed office in 2021.

Chief Minister MK Stalin criticised the Governor for “walking out yet again in violation of rules, traditions and ethos,” and it was unbecoming of the high office Ravi holds. It was an insult to the House and its dignity, he said.

The CM asserted that his party would make efforts to delete from the Constitution, by way of an amendment, the provisions mandating governor’s address at the start of the year.

The chief minister moved a resolution which said the House does not accept the Governor’s behaviour of not reading out the customary address. Also, it said that only the government prepared text read out by Speaker M Appavu in Tamil would go on record.

After the House adopted the resolution, Stalin thanked the MLAs for it and said it is not good that the Governor refuses every year to read out the government prepared speech. Governors posing trouble happens in several states and it does not happen only in Tamil Nadu.

At the beginning of the year, Governor reading out the government’s policy statement is a practice being followed. When a governor repeatedly violates such a practice, a question naturally arises “as to why such a rule/practice should exist.”

Hence, the chief minister said his party, the DMK would make efforts in the Parliament with the support of like-minded parties to drop provisions mandating governor’s address at the start of the year from the Constitution by way of an amendment.

The CM said that according to Article 176 of the Constitution the customary address is prepared by the state government and it should be fully read out by the governor.

“There is no scope for the Governor to express his personal opinion on the address or omit content from the state government prepared address,” he told the House.

It was regrettable that the Governor has repeated his behaviour of walking out of the House, which reflected the sentiments of the 8.5 crore Tamil people.

“A Governor must be concerned about the state’s welfare, interested in the people’s development, and must speak the truth. He must cooperate with the government which has come to power with massive public support and a majority, on its decisions,” the CM said.

“The Constitution expects the same from the person who holds that office. However, he acts against it and spreads slander by speaking politics in public and tries to scuttle the state administration. He is making a similar attempt here (in the Assembly and this) is unacceptable.”

When Ravi left the House, MLAs belonging to the ruling party and its allies stood up and raised their voice and nothing could be comprehended due to the din.

The CM said that on April 10, 2023, he had recalled DMK founder CN Annadurai’s statement that “neither does a goat require a beard, nor does a state require a governor,” and late DMK patriarch endorsing it. However, governors have always been shown due respect.

In 2022, when Ravi made his maiden address to the House, the main opposition AIADMK had walked out . The next year, Ravi walked out of the House abruptly while CM Stalin pointed to deviation from the government prepared text as the Governor avoided references like the Dravidian model of governance. The chief minister piloted a resolution to have on House record only the pre-approved, state prepared text and it was adopted.

In 2024, Ravi declined to read out the customary inaugural address of the House, prepared by the DMK government, and also walked out of the Assembly. The Lok Bhavan later said the address had numerous passages with misleading claims far from truth and and “reading them would have amounted to the Governor’s address becoming a constitutional travesty.”

The Governor’s office had also said Speaker M Appavu had launched a tirade against Ravi and called him a “follower of Nathuram Godse and more.”

In 2025, Ravi walked out of the House without reading the address and the Lok Bhavan had said: “When the national anthem was not sung or played at the commencement of the Governor’s address, the Governor respectfully reminded the House of its Constitutional duty and fervently appealed to the Chief Minister and Speaker for singing or playing the national anthem.”

The Bhavan had said the request was not complied with. Not singing or playing the national anthem at the beginning of the Governor’s address was a blatant disrespect to the Constitution and the national anthem. “In deep anguish, Governor left the House,” the Governor’s office had said.

Ravi, who has locked horns with the DMK regime over several issues, assumed office as the 26th Governor of Tamil Nadu on September 18, 2021, and the DMK assumed power that year after being in opposition for a decade (2011-21).

According to officials, traditionally, in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the ‘Tamil Thai Valthu’, the invocation to Mother Tamil is sung at the commencement; following which the Governor would read out the address and the national anthem is played at the end.