Chennai: After an unprecedented face off between Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi and Chief Minister M K Stalin, the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday recorded its “agony” while thanking the Governor for his recorded address to the House.
The motion of thanks to the Governor's address moved by ruling DMK member N Ramakrishnan read: “This House records its agony for the act of Hon. Governor omitting and including some portions in his address which was sent by the Tamil Nadu government, approved by the Governor and circulated in the Assembly.” Nonetheless, “the members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly are grateful to the Hon. Governor for the address, recorded in the House on January 9, 2023,” it added.
While the proceedings were on in the Assembly, the Governor, addressing the inaugural ceremony of Thyagaraja Aradhana at Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district, showed little signs of conciliation with the government. He chose to refer the state as 'Tamizhagam' instead of “Tamil Nadu”.
“Thamizhagam has contributed to the spread of Sanatana culture to the whole of Bharat,” he insisted.
The Dravidian polity, which is opposed to Sanatana dharma, has been critical of the Governor for repeatedly propagating it in the state.
In a related development, a Joint Director of Information and Public Relations posted at the Raj Bhavan was relieved from his duty on Wednesday. While no reason was given for the move, it came against the backdrop of the Pongal invitation carrying the Indian emblem instead of the state emblem.
Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker M Appavu said while the Governor caused “an unprecedented situation”, the Chief Minister handled the situation cleverly and upheld the dignity of the House by adopting a resolution to take on record only the approved version of the Governor's address.
“Had the Chief Minister not moved the resolution, the Governor’s action would have caused shame to the entire country. The Chief Minister by his clever action upheld not only the dignity of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, but the assemblies of all states,” he remarked.
The Speaker insisted that the duty of the Governor was to address the House only from the printed speech and he could not add or delete anything.
The Governor created confusion by skipping some portions and adding something on his own. “I do not know why he had chosen to do it. There was a murmur among the members and the Chief Minister calmed them through a gesture. The House or the government is not responsible for the unprecedented situation. I appreciate the Chief Minister's courage,” he said in the House.
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