Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Tuesday once again refused to read his address and walked out of the Legislative Assembly without delivering the customary speech on the opening day of the first session of the year, escalating tensions between Raj Bhavan and the House.
As the session commenced, Speaker M Appavu urged the Governor to follow established conventions and confine himself to the address approved by the state government. Amid protests from the treasury benches, the Speaker emphasised legislative protocol, stating that only elected members were entitled to express opinions in the House.
Responding from the well of the Assembly, Governor Ravi termed the interruption of his speech “unfortunate” and voiced dissatisfaction with the proceedings. He alleged that due respect was not accorded to the national anthem and said he was disappointed. Shortly thereafter, he exited the House without completing or formally delivering the address, also claiming that his microphone was repeatedly switched off.
Later, Raj Bhavan issued a statement outlining the reasons for the walkout. It alleged that the Governor was not allowed to speak and that his microphone was continuously turned off. The statement further claimed that the prepared address contained several unverified and misleading assertions, while issues raised by the Governor had been excluded.
The statement questioned the state government’s claim of attracting investments worth over ₹12 lakh crore, asserting that many memoranda of understanding remained only on paper and that actual investments were a fraction of the projected figures. It also claimed that Tamil Nadu’s attractiveness to investors had declined, noting that the state had slipped from being the fourth-largest recipient of foreign direct investment to struggling to retain the sixth position.
Raj Bhavan further alleged that the national anthem had once again been disrespected, calling it a violation of a fundamental constitutional duty. It also claimed that rising atrocities against Dalits and cases of sexual violence against Dalit women had been ignored in the address.
