TN Guv leaves House amid anthem row; CM Stalin says tradition violated

In a third incident of its kind since 2023, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Monday walked out of the Assembly session without delivering his customary address to the House, complaining that the National Anthem was not played before the beginning of his address.

As per tradition, the state anthem ‘Tamil Thai Valthu’ is sung when the House meets and the National Anthem is sung at the end. But the Governor took exception to this norm, saying the National Anthem should be sung on both occasions.

“The Constitution of Bharat and the National Anthem were once again insulted in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Respecting the National Anthem is among the first Fundamental Duties. It is sung in all state legislatures at the beginning and the end of governor’s address,” the Raj Bhavan said.

“On the arrival of the Governor, only Tamil Thai Valthu was sung on Monday. The Governor reminded the House of its constitutional duty and appealed to the CM and the Speaker for singing the National Anthem. However, they refused. Not to be a party to such brazen disrespect to the Constitution and the National Anthem, the Governor left the House,” the Raj Bhavan added.

Chief Minister MK Stalin said on X that the Governor had made it a custom to violate the Assembly’s tradition. “According to the Constitution, it is a tradition of the legislative democracy for the state Governor to read the government’s address at the beginning of the year! He has made it his custom to violate it. It is childish that the Governor, who has cut out what was there and added what was not, has gone without reading it this time,” he said, referring to passages skipped by the Governor in his earlier speeches.

After the Governor walked out, Assembly Speaker M Appavu delivered the customary address that was to be read by the Governor.

The run-ins between Ravi and government have been quiet frequent for the past two years. There have also been other incidents when CMs of Opposition-ruled states have had face-offs with the centrally-appointed governors.

In February last year, the Governor refused to read out the inaugural address after reading the first paragraph of the address prepared by the government that wished people “prosperity and well-being” in the New Year and quoted a couplet from Tirukkural.

In January 2023, the Governor abruptly walked out of the Assembly as the CM disapproved of his selective deviation from the approved text.