TN Governor caught in row after Pongal invite mentions Tamizhagam

By using the word Tamizhagam, which is widely mentioned in reference to the CM by the DMK and other Tamil parties, the DMK accused the Governor of promoting RSS and BJP agenda to appropriate the idea of the native land.

"He makes statements that are factually incorrect and potentially dangerous," DMK leader TR Baalu was quoted by NDTV as saying.

CPI(M) MP Su Venkatesan shared the invite on Twitter with a comparison to last year’s invite, which mentioned only Tamil Nadu.

"The invitation from the Governor's House to the Pongal ceremony last year said Governor of Tamil Nadu. Now the invitation for the Pongal festival says, Thamizhaga Governor," Venkatesan wrote.

“He (Governor Ravi) has refused to use the state symbol because the name Tamil Nadu is part of it. Likewise, shall we expect that the Governor will vacate his rented accommodation (Raj Bhavan) and leave Tamil Nadu?” Venkatesan asked, demanding the Governor’s ouster.

The invitation in English however says "Tamil Nadu Governor".

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According to some reports, the row over Tamil Nadu may also have a historic connection as the Congress, which ruled the Centre and the state in the early 1960s, had refused to cede to the DMK’s demand to rename the state from Madras state to Tamil Nadu, as Tamil Nadu could also mean ‘Tamil Country’. At that time, there was a demand to secede Tamil Nadu as a separate country.

However, when DMK came to power in 1967, the state was renamed Tamil Nadu, but the party’s chief minister CN Annadurai asserted that while the state would be called Tamil Nadu, it will not be a separate country, but a part of India.

The DMK currently has been at the one of the leading states in opposing the Centre’s initiatives, including imposition of Hindi as a national language across the country, having a unified system of education and other matters, as the people of the state suffer and lag behind those of others.

As such Governor Ravi had a week back said that it would be more appropriate to use Tamizhagam, instead of Tamil Nadu, in an apparent bid to trim any separatist ideas in the state.

This had led to a row when he was about to give his customary address at the start of the Assembly this year on Monday as MLAs of DMK and allies gathered around the well of the house and criticised him for not using the word Tamil Nadu.

Another row arose when Governor Ravi omitted certain references to Dravidian socialism and leaders like BR Ambedkar, EVR Periyar and CN Annadurai during his address in the Assembly. The customary address is prepared by the state government as a policy document listing its initiatives.

Losing no time, Chief Minister MK Stalin moved a resolution urging the House to accept only the written form of the speech, and not the one given by the Governor. Even as Stalin was speaking on the resolution, the Governor walked out of the House.

Leaders of DMK and allies criticised the Governor for his walkout and accused him of promoting the agenda of the BJP-led Centre. Later in the day, the hashtag #GetOutRavi trended on Twitter briefly. Some leaders and workers also put out posters of the hashtag.

But Stalin asked his party MLAs to avoid making any "distasteful comments" against the Governor or putting up such posters, NDTV quoted sources as saying.