In yet another showdown between the Raj Bhavan and the state government, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi stormed out of the Assembly on Monday before the National Anthem was played.
The Governor also refused to read the full text of the government-prepared customary address to the Assembly, inserting his own version in it. His remarks were later expunged by the Speaker.
According to the Governor, the draft of the address he had received had ‘numerous passages’ with “misleading claims”. RN Ravi, therefore, returned the file and also advised the government to show due respect to the National Anthem by playing it at the beginning and end of his address.
A statement issued by Raj Bhavan stated that the House Speaker M Appavu read the government-prepared Governor’s address with which Ravi disagreed. When the Speaker concluded, Ravi stood up 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. 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 Raj Bhavan statement read.
In response, the Speaker Appavu said Governor Ravi’s “personal views” and also what he had said thereafter were expunged. “Only the printed text will be on the Assembly record,” he said.
“We have been following the tradition. The printed text was approved by the Governor and we requested him to read it out. He could have chosen not to read or abstained from the House,” he said.
Normally, the national anthem was played when the Speaker, accompanied by the Assembly Secretary, received the Governor with a Guard of Honour, Appavu said. “But inside the House, the customary address commences with the Tamil Thaai Vazhthu (Tamil anthem) and the national anthem is played after the Governor’s address, delivered in English, is read out in Tamil by him (Speaker),” he clarified. This was in strict compliance to the Assembly rule 176 (1) for the first sitting of the Assembly.
Soon after Appavu completed making some comments, Ravi quickly walked out even as the former announced that the national anthem would be played after the passage of the resolution on including the customary address. The Governor continued and moved out of the House with officials in attendance, Appavu said.
State Law Minister Raghupathy said that the speech was provided for the Governor’s approval earlier. “The speech was sent to the Governor for approval, he has studied and read the entire papers. So, he knows everything,” he said.
“The Speaker has clarified, first Tamil Thai Vazthu and then National Anthem. This is the procedure which we can not change. The previous government have also done this. He has walked out without waiting for National Anthem. He can wait for another few or minutes. What ever he said in English has been removed,” said Minister Raghupathy.