Guv RN Ravi refuses to read out customary address prepared by govt in TNLA

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Monday refused to read out the customary address prepared by the State government on the opening day of the year’s Assembly session on “factual and moral grounds” that he disagreed with numerous passages of it.

Content with only reading out the opening paragraph comprising greetings and a Thirukkural couplet with English translation from the tablet placed before him on the dais, Ravi abruptly wound up his speech in roughly four minutes with a statement justifying his refusal to read out the speech. “This address has numerous passages which I convincingly disagree on factual and moral grounds. I, lending my voice to them would constitute Constitutional travesty. Hence, with respect to the house I conclude my address,” said Governor Ravi, wrapping up his address with “Vazhga Tamil Nadu, Vazhga Bharatham. Jai Hind, Jai bharat.”

The act of the governor, who walked in around 9.59pm and wound up his proceedings around 10.08am with the Tamil anthem (Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu) in between, caused a flutter in the House with several of the disgruntled alliance MLAs of the ruling DMK briefly urging the gubernatorial head of the State to read the customary address prepared by the state government.

Resolution adopted to only take 'tabled' speech on record

As the Governor retired to his seat, Chief Minister M K Stalin prodded an anxious Leader of the House Duraimurugan, who rose to make a point, to wait for his turn. Meanwhile, Speaker M Appavu read out the Tamil version of the Governor’s address in full till 10.53am. The governor, along with his staff, stormed out of the House like he did last year, even while the Speaker was responding to the points raised by the Governor. The statements made by the Speaker were expunged later. Duraimurugan moved a resolution to relax Rule 17 of the Assembly and only take on the House records the Tamil and English version of the governor’s address circulated to the members. The resolution which was successfully adopted by voice vote without any opposition and with all members, including Opposition AIADMK and BJP seated in the House, said that statements other than the bilingual version of the speech uploaded in the tablets placed before the members would not go on record.

Request for playing national anthem at the beginning ignored: Guv

Earlier, the governor also took exception to the House not playing the national anthem before his address. Governor Ravi said, “Friends, my repeated request and advice to show due respect to the national anthem and play it at the beginning and end of the address has been ignored.”

House rules allow Tamil anthem in the beginning, national anthem at the end; Speaker

However, Speaker M Appavu responded to the titular head of the State and said that the House was being run in accordance with the Constitution and the Assembly rules and as per the Assembly rules, the Tamil anthem is sung before the address and the national anthem is sung after the address. Responding to the issue after the House concluded business for the day, Appavu told media persons that the issue was earlier thoroughly explained to the Governor after he wrote to him on the issue.