As per established convention, the first session of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly each year begins with the Governor’s address. Accordingly, the first Assembly session of this year commenced on Tuesday at 9.30 AM.
Governor RN Ravi left the Raj Bhavan at Guindy at around 9.10 AM and arrived at the Secretariat at 9.25 AM, where he was accorded a ceremonial police guard of honour with a band. He was received by Speaker M Appavu and Assembly Secretary Srinivasan, who welcomed him with a shawl and bouquet and escorted him into the House.
Upon entering the Assembly Hall, the Governor proceeded to the Speaker’s chair area and greeted Chief Minister MK Stalin, Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami, Ministers, and MLAs. Speaker Appavu was seated to the Governor’s right, while the Governor’s Secretary R Girlosh Kumar was seated to his left.
At exactly 9.30 AM, the Assembly session commenced with the rendition of Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu. Governor RN Ravi then began the customary address marking the first sitting of the year. Unlike previous years, the Governor’s address was not telecast live.
Shortly after beginning to speak, Governor RN Ravi objected to the fact that the National Anthem was not played after Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu. Citing this omission, he declined to continue his address and walked out of the Assembly. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Governor RN Ravi has exited the House during the inaugural session.
RN Ravi was appointed Governor of Tamil Nadu in September 2021 and delivered his first Assembly address in 2022, which he read in full.
Not The First Time
The issue of not playing the National Anthem in the Tamil Nadu Assembly has been a recurring point of contention between the Governor and the state government. On multiple occasions, Governor RN Ravi has expressed his disappointment over the failure to include the National Anthem at the beginning and end of Assembly sessions.
2025
On 6 January 2025 Governor RN Ravi walked out without delivering his customary address, after the National Anthem was not played following the Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu. The Governor exited the House within three minutes, stating that his repeated requests to play the Anthem were refused. In a statement, Raj Bhavan said the Constitution and National Anthem were disrespected and termed the refusal a grave concern. After his exit, Speaker M Appavu read the address.
2024
During the first session of 2024, the Governor noted with regret that his repeated requests to play the anthem were ignored. He refused to read the address prepared by the state government, citing strong disagreements on factual and moral grounds. Instead, he concluded his brief address with wishes for productive discussions and respect for Tamil Nadu and India.
2023
This pattern was also evident during the 2023 winter session, where Raj Bhavan requested changes to the Governor’s speech, including respect for the National Anthem. However, the state government did not respond. The session saw protests from DMK allies, who disrupted the Governor’s speech with slogans and demonstrations, further straining relations.
2022
In 2022, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi revealed that the DMK government refused to play the National Anthem in the Assembly, despite his insistence. Before his first address to the Assembly that year, Governor Ravi was informed that the National Anthem was not part of the session’s proceedings. He explicitly requested that it be played at the beginning and end of the session, alongside the Tamil Thai Vazhthu. The request was communicated to Speaker Appavu and Chief Minister MK Stalin, and the Governor even sent a formal letter reiterating his appeal. However, the National Anthem was not played, disregarding the Governor’s insistence.
Source: Daily Thanthi
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
