A day after Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi asked students to chant “Jai Shri Ram” during an event in Madurai, the Congress condemned him on Sunday and alleged that “he is acting like an RSS face in Tamil Nadu and spreading its ideology”. Meanwhile, the State Platform for Common School System – Tamil Nadu (SPCSS), an organisation comprising educationists, has demanded his immediate removal from his post for “violating his oath of office.”
“He hailed the Kamba Ramayana as the fountainhead of Tamil culture as it deeply influenced the rich Tamil literature, classical Tamil music and drama. He lamented the fading legacy of this proud Tamil heritage due to a politically driven ongoing cultural genocide in the state and urged the society to take up the sacred task of saving it,” the Raj Bhavan said
On Saturday, at an event to distribute prizes to students winners of a state level competition on Kamba Narayana at the Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Madurai district, Ravi, who was the chief guest, at the end of his address, asked students to chant the slogan after him.
This comes amid standoffs between the governor and the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government over myriad issues ranging from ideology to the former sitting on bills which led the latter to approach the top court. Based on Tamil Nadu’s plea, the Supreme Court said that the governor withholding assent to 10 bills by forwarding it to the President of India was illegal and gave them a deemed assent while setting times for governors across the country with reference to Bills. Tamil Nadu notified the 10 bills as Acts on April 12 for the first time in India without the assent of a governor and armed by the SC verdict.
Responding to Ravi’s latest remarks, the SPCSS-TN) said: “Without any basic knowledge on how students learn the religious text in a secular environment, Mr RN Ravi is making misguiding statements using the office of the governor.”
SPCSS general secretary Prince Gajendra Babu said that the college was a secular institution and students had to obey the Governor to not embarrass their management. “Mr Ravi violated his oath of office; he should be removed from the office of the Governor of Tamil Nadu…While delivering his address, he had asked the students to chant the name of a God of particular religion thrice. Mr RN Ravi was invited as the Chief Guest in his capacity as the Governor of the State of Tamil Nadu. He was not invited as a preacher of a particular religion. He was not asked to give a religious sermon,” he said.
“The governor does not have the tiniest bit of respect for the Constitution. How can a governor who is poisoned by the thoughts of the RSS respect the Constitution?” DMK minister Mano Thangaraj said in response to the governor’s remarks.
Congress MP and former IAS officer Sashikanth Senthil said that the governor was frustrated that the courts have ruled against him so he will continue to find other ways to push his agenda. “After being slammed by the Supreme Court and blocked by the state government, he’s now resorting to stunts like making students chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ just to irritate the system,” Senthil said on X. “It’s a dangerous mix of arrogance and defiance that undermines democratic institutions and the principles of the Constitution!”
The Raj Bhavan did not respond to HT’s request for a comment on the issue.