Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi exited the state assembly on Tuesday before delivering his inaugural address, citing multiple grievances with the speech presented by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s government. The Governor claimed his microphone was repeatedly switched off, preventing him from speaking, and demanded the national anthem be played after the Tamil anthem, which the assembly speaker refused. This marks the third consecutive year Governor Ravi has either skipped or walked out of the customary address.
As per a report in News18.
In an official statement, the Governor outlined 13 reasons for his refusal to read the speech. He criticized the address for containing unsubstantiated claims, including overstated investment figures, ignoring rising issues such as women’s safety, drug abuse, Dalit atrocities, and a high suicide rate in the state. He also highlighted concerns over declining education standards, defunct village panchayats due to postponed elections, mismanagement of temples, stress on the MSME sector, and unrest among lower-level employees.
Governor Ravi emphasized that the speech failed to address critical social and economic challenges facing Tamil Nadu, such as a 55% increase in POCSO rape cases, over 2,000 drug-related youth suicides annually, and the state’s designation as the ‘Suicide Capital of India’ due to nearly 20,000 yearly suicides. He also noted the lack of implementation of Madras High Court directives regarding temple administration and the absence of solutions for grassroots democracy and employment grievances.
The Governor expressed particular displeasure over the omission of the national anthem at the start of the session, calling it a disregard of a fundamental constitutional duty. The ongoing discord between Governor Ravi and the Stalin-led government reflects deeper tensions over governance and protocol in Tamil Nadu.
No immediate resolution has been announced, and the Governor’s office has indicated that these issues remain unresolved as the assembly session continues.
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