Chennai, Jan 24: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday strongly criticised Governor R N Ravi, accusing him of disrespecting the constitutional office by declining to read the customary address at the start of the State Assembly session.
Addressing the House, Stalin said he was compelled to speak out, noting that such a situation had not arisen during the tenures of former Chief Ministers including C N Annadurai, M Karunanidhi, M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. He described the Governor’s conduct as a deviation from long-established legislative traditions in Tamil Nadu.
The Chief Minister pointed out that the National Anthem has conventionally been played at the conclusion of the Governor’s address, while Tamil Thai Vazhthu is rendered at the beginning of Assembly proceedings. Insisting on altering this practice and skipping the address altogether, Stalin argued, amounted to disregarding the dignity of the office.
Emphasising the state’s commitment to national pride, Stalin said Tamil Nadu did not require lessons in patriotism from anyone. He added that while the current situation posed a challenge, he had faced and overcome many such hurdles in his political career.
Responding to concerns over law and order, Stalin asserted that crime levels under the present DMK government were lower than those recorded during the previous AIADMK administration.