Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Events unfolded rapidly inside the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday as Governor R N Ravi walked out of the House without delivering his customary address, alleging, among other things, “inaccuracies” in the DMK government-prepared text, which triggered a sharp response from chief minister M K Stalin.This was the fourth such walkout by Ravi since he assumed office in 2021.The episode began at the start of the Assembly session when governor Ravi arrived to address the House, with leaders from multiple political parties present.
- The governor demanded that the national anthem be played after the
Tamil anthem . When Speaker M Appavu refused, Ravi walked out of the House without reading the opening address. - As the governor left, MLAs from the ruling DMK and its allies stood up and raised slogans, creating a din in which nothing could be clearly comprehended.
- Reacting, CM Stalin accused the governor of “walking out yet again in violation of rules, traditions and ethos,” and said such conduct was unbecoming of the high constitutional office Ravi holds. He said the walkout was an insult to the House and its dignity, and that the actions of the governor insulted the 100-year-old Assembly.
- Stalin recalled a remark by former CM C N Annadurai, saying, “Why does a goat need a beard, and why does a state need a governor?”
- Immediately after the walkout, the assembly adopted a resolution moved by Stalin stating that only the government-prepared customary address would go on official record. Thanking the MLAs for adopting the resolution, the CM said it was not appropriate that the Governor refuses every year to read out the government’s speech.
- Stalin also asserted that the DMK would make efforts in Parliament, with the support of like-minded parties, to amend the Constitution and remove provisions mandating the Governor’s address at the start of the year.
- Minutes later, the Raj Bhavan (Lok Bhavan) issued a 13-point statement explaining why the governor had “declined” to read the address. It alleged that the speech contained “numerous unsubstantiated claims and misleading statements” and said “several crucial issues troubling the people are ignored.”
- The Raj Bhavan further alleged that the Governor was prevented from speaking inside the House, claiming that his mic “was repeatedly switched off and he was not allowed to speak.” It accused the government of disrespecting the national anthem, stating that the “National Anthem is yet again insulted and the fundamental Constitutional duty disregarded.”
- The statement listed a range of issues it said were ignored in the government-prepared address, including the state’s actual investment figures, rising crimes against women and Dalits, drug abuse among youth, a high rate of suicides, declining education standards, vacant faculty positions, defunct village panchayats, mismanaged temples, stressed MSME sectors, and widespread discontent among lower-rung employees. The statement claimed that these critical concerns had been “bypassed” and remained unaddressed.
The national anthem once again emerged as a key point of disagreement. While Ravi has been insisting that it be played at the commencement of the customary address, the state government maintains that the Tamil anthem is traditionally played at the beginning and the national anthem at the end.Stalin said governors creating trouble was not unique to Tamil Nadu and was happening in several states. Questioning the relevance of the practice itself, he said that when a governor repeatedly violates the convention of reading out the government’s policy statement, “a question naturally arises as to why such a rule/practice should exist.”Calling the Governor’s conduct regrettable, Stalin said it went against the sentiments of the “8.5 crore Tamil people.” The confrontation follows a pattern seen in recent years. In 2022, when Ravi made his maiden address to the House, the main opposition AIADMK walked out. In 2023, Ravi abruptly walked out while Stalin pointed to deviations from the government-prepared text, including the omission of references to the Dravidian model of governance. The Chief Minister then piloted a resolution to record only the pre-approved state-prepared text, which was adopted by the House.In 2024, Ravi declined to read out the customary inaugural address prepared by the DMK government and again walked out of the Assembly. The Lok Bhavan later said the address contained passages with misleading claims far from the truth and that “reading them would have amounted to the Governor’s address becoming a constitutional travesty.”
