Sources in Delhi said Union Home Minister Amit Shah advised the Tamil Nadu Governor not to hurt the sentiments of the people of the state.
Published Jan 18, 2023 | 4:02 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 18, 2023 | 6:26 PM
Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi speaks at the Kashi Tamil Sangamam event, where he made the controversial "Tamizhagam" remarks. (Supplied)
Putting an end to the controversy over the use of the word Tamizhagam instead of Tamil Nadu, Governor RN Ravi issued a statement on Wednesday, 18 January, after he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.
In the statement, released 15 days since the beginning of the controversy, he stated: “In an event at Raj Bhavan on 4 January, 2023, to felicitate the volunteers of the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, the recently-concluded month-long festival celebrating the age-old cultural connect of the Tamil people with Kashi, while dwelling upon the historical cultural connect between the two, I referred to the word ‘Tamizhagam’. In those days, there was no ‘Tamil Nadu’. Hence, in a historical cultural context, I referred to the word ‘Tamizhagam’ as a ‘more appropriate expression’.”
An interpretation or inference that it was a suggestion to change the name of Tamil Nadu was erroneous and far-fetched, he added.
“Without understanding the basis of my speech, arguments that the Governor is against the word ‘Tamil Nadu’ have become a topic of discussion. Hence, I am giving this clarification to put an end to it,” he said.
Sources in Delhi said that Amit Shah expressed displeasure over the remarks made by Ravi, and he was advised not to hurt the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu.
Press Release. @PIB_India @ANI @PTI_News pic.twitter.com/QZofsjEMtv
— RAJ BHAVAN, TAMIL NADU (@rajbhavan_tn) January 18, 2023
On 4 January, while speaking at a function felicitating the volunteers of the Kashi Tamil Sangam, Ravi said that it would be “appropriate to name the state Tamizhagam instead of Tamil Nadu”, which put him at loggerheads with the political parties of the state.
The ruling DMK, its allies, and other Tamil outfits reacted sharply to the comments made by the Governor, and there were poster protests against him in Chennai and other parts of the state.
During the first session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, DMK allies — including the Congress, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), and VCK — created a ruckus in the House while Ravi was delivering his speech.
Ravi, in turn, in the official invitation for the Pongal festival at the Governor’s House — Raj Bhavan — referred to himself as the “Tamizhagam” governor, and used the emblem of the Central government instead of that of the state government.
Irked over the action, DMK MPs handed over a sealed letter written by Chief Minister MK Stalin to President Droupadi Murmu expressing his displeasure over the actions of the Governor.
The President’s office subsequently forwarded the communication to the Union Home Ministry for appropriate action.
Meanwhile, Stalin, in a recent DMK youth wing function in Chennai, gave a history lesson on how the state got the name Tamil Nadu, and also expressed disgust — without mentioning the name of the Governor — over the remarks made by Ravi by calling the state Tamizhagam.
Even the BJP state unit president K Annamalai also expressed his displeasure, in his interview with a private news channel, saying that the controversy could have been avoided.
Reacting to the statement of the Governor, DMK students’ wing secretary and Kancheepuram MLA CVMP Ezhilarasan asked why it had taken nearly 15 days for him to clarify his controversial remarks.
It was s a victory for the DMK and for the people of Tamil Nadu, and Ravi should understand the sentiments of the state, he added.
He also stated that only because of the pressure of the Union government had the Governor issued a clarification, and that in the future, he should refrain from indulging in such controversy.
