Governor RN Ravi has been highly critical of the DMK government in Tamil Nadu; he fired a fresh salvo on 5 June.
Stalin said that he is thinking of approaching the Supreme Court against the governor's delay in clearing the bills. (Creative Commons)
There is no end in sight for the war of words between Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and the ruling DMK in the state.
The Governor fired the latest salvo from Ooty, which prompted Chief Minister MK Stalin to hint the government might take legal recourse like the Telangana government.
The latest bout began when the Governor took a shot at the chief minister’s official trip to Singapore and Japan to attract investments to the state.
On 5 June, addressing a Vice-Chancellors’ Conference in Ooty, Governor Ravi said the state should create a more friendly environment to attract more investments. Then came the swipe at Stalin’s trip: “Investors will not come just because we ask or we go and have a talk with them.”
Citing Haryana as an example, Ravi went on to criticise Tamil Nadu’s infrastructure, stating that corporate entities value each dollar and they will not invest if the climate is not conducive for business.
“Hence, we have to improve our infrastructure,” he said.
The DMK did not take kindly to the Governor’s remark. The DMK mouthpiece, Murasoli, asked Ravi not to take his position as a shield. It dared him to step down and engage in a political fight.
Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu felt the Governor had belittled the chief minister’s overseas visit. He was quick to point out Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign jaunts when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.
“By attempting to criticise our chief minister, the Governor has fired a missile at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who as the chief minister of Gujarat, visited China in 2011 to attract investment to his state,” the minister said.
Thennarasu also questioned Ravi over Modi’s visit to China, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia. He also asked Governor to refrain from using his office to make political statements.
Stalin, too, countered the Governor without taking any names.
“Tamil Nadu is at the forefront in implementing welfare schemes and a pioneer in the education sector. When everyone is aware of the state’s growth, a person who holds the highest office of the state is unaware of it,” he said.
“As a person who doesn’t accept the Dravidian Model of Governance, he speaks some rubbish every day and tries to confuse the people. I want him to speak more so that it will make us perform better,” he added.
On 8 June, Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi criticised the Governor for not holding the convocation ceremony of students of various universities in the state.
The minister said that nearly 9.29 lakh students from across 12 state-run universities have not received their degree certificates owing to the delay in conducting convocations.
He alleged that the Governor has been withholding the convocations as he wants Union ministers to preside as chief guests.
Ponmudi also said that he was neither informed nor invited to the vice-chancellors’ conclave.
Meanwhile, the Governor has not given his assent to a Bill passed in April 2022 to make the chief minister the Chancellor of all universities in Tamil Nadu.
It was reported that the Governor felt the Bill conflicted with the University Grants Commission Act, of 1956.
In an interview with a newspaper, Ravi alleged that the Dikshithars of Chidambaram temple were harassed and arrested on false charges of conducting child marriages. He also alleged that government doctors had performed the banned two-finger tests on two minor girls.
After his comment was published, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) conducted a probe and submitted its report to the Governor, validating his claim.
Within days after the report was submitted, the photos and videos of a child marriage surfaced on social media which disputed the Governor’s claim.
Health Minister Ma. Subramanian went on record saying that the government has proof of NCPCR member RG Anand telling a doctor that the Governor’s claims were false. Anand conducted the probe based on Ravi’s allegations.
Ravi touched a raw nerve in April when he stated that anti-Sterlite protesters in Thoothukudi received overseas funds. He also alleged that a foreign hand was behind protests against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant.
He further said there was a need for stricter regulations in monitoring foreign funds, and the process in that direction has begun.
ஆதாரங்களைத் தரவேண்டும் ஆளுநர் @rajbhavan_tn pic.twitter.com/dxvLn60Mdh
— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) April 6, 2023
Meanwhile, DMK MP Kanimozhi dared the Governor to back his claims with evidence.
Law Minister S Regupathy slammed the Governor’s remark, saying he had forgotten that he was “a mere agent of the Union government and is trying to act like a super chief minister”.
Incidentally, the Opposition AIADMK, too, came out against the Governor’s comment on anti-Sterlite agitators.
The party’s deputy general secretary KP Munusamy said that the copper smelter unit was shut down by the government, by the sentiments of the people.
“It is sad that a person holding such a high office talks in such a manner in public. If foreign funds were pumped into India for the protests, Modi would have put them in prison,” Munusamy said.
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