"Govt chose to ignore advice of Governor": TN Raj Bhavan over address refusal in Assembly

Earlier in the day, the first session of the year 2024 of the Tamil Nadu Assembly witnessed unprecedented scenes when Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi refused to accept the customary address prepared by the government and made a few remarks that were later expunged from the Assembly records.

Governor Ravi then walked out from the Assembly before the session concluded and without waiting for the customary playing of the National Anthem.

In a press release issued by the Raj Bhavan, it stated, "The Government chose to ignore the advice of Governor. Governor in his address to the House at 10 am today (February 12, 202) greeted the Speaker, the Chief Minister, the Members of the House, and the people of Tamil Nadu, and read out the first paragraph which contained a Kural (738) of the renowned Saint Thiruvalluvar."

"Thereafter, Governor with due regard to the constitutional proprieties expressed his inability to read the address as it contained numerous passages with misleading claims and facts and reading them would have amounted to Governor's address becoming a constitutional travesty," the release added.

It further alleged that the address had numerous passages with "misleading claims far from the truth".

"The Draft Governor's address was received at the Raj Bhavan, from the Government, on 9.2.2024. The address had numerous passages with misleading claims far from the truth," the release stated.

"Governor returned the file with the following advice. To show due respect to the National Anthem and play it at the beginning and end of the Governor's address. In this regard, Governor has written letters to the Chief Minister and Speaker in the past also," it added.

"Governor's address should reflect Government's achievements, policies and programmes and to inform the house of the 'causes of its summons" and should not be a forum for peddling, misleading statements and venting blatantly partisan political views," it said.

The release also criticised the Speaker for "not following the schedule" alleging that he called the Governor a follower of Nathuram Godse.

"Thereafter the Speaker read the Tamil version of the address. Governor sat through it till the conclusion of address," it said.

"When the Speaker concluded the address, the Governor rose for the National Anthem, as scheduled. However, the Speaker instead of following the schedule launched a tirade against the Governor and called him a follower of Nathuram Godse and more. The speaker with his unbecoming conduct lowered the dignity of his chair and grace of the House," it added.

"While the Speaker went on his tirade against the Governor, the Governor with due regard to the dignity of his office and the House left the House," the release further stated.

However, the DMK camp hit out at the Governor over his refusal to accept the government's customary address.

DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan said, that policy of the state government is given to the Governor to read in the customary speech and questioned the Governor's actions refusing to read them out.

Drawing parallels with the presidential address in Parliament, Elangovan said that the party running the government decides on what the address is.

"The policy of the state government is given to the governor to read it out in the assembly. Whether he reads it or not, let become part of the assembly proceedings. It is the party which is running the government which has made certain promises to the people who have elected them. It is for them to decide on what the address is," the DMK leader said.

"Even in the parliament, the presidential address is prepared by the government cabinet, not by the president. He is already being mocked by many people. He's becoming a joker," he added.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami said that Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi refused to give customary address in Assembly as his suggestion was "ignored."

"Governor requested National Anthem should be sung in the beginning of the session along with Tamil Anthem. As his suggestion was ignored he refused to give a customary address," Palaniswami said.

He further called it an "issue between the governor and the government."

Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M Appavu responded to the Governor's remarks which was also later removed from Assembly records.

After this, the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution considering the Governor's address as fully delivered including those portions that were not read out.

Similar scenes were witnessed last year on January 9, 2023, when Governor RN Ravi had walked out in a rush following the adoption of a resolution moved by Chief Minister MK Stalin which sought to expunge, from house records, whatever the Governor spoke outside the customary government-prepared address.

Soon after the Governor completed his speech, a resolution to exclude a certain portion of the speech of the Governor was adopted by the Assembly, which had then prompted the Governor to leave the assembly in a hurry. (ANI)