Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, chastened by the Supreme Court for holding up 10 bills for over three years, has now landed in a fresh row, after allegedly asking students at a function to chant “Jai Shri Ram”. His action has been condemned by leaders of the ruling government and academic bodies. An academic body has also sought his removal from the post.
In a statement, non-profit SPCSS-TN (State Platform for Common School System – Tamil Nadu) said: “Mr RN Ravi violated his oath of office. He failed to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions. Mr RN Ravi should be removed from the Office of Governor of Tamil Nadu forthwith for deliberately violating Article 159 of the Constitution of India”.
Senior Congress leader Sasikanth Senthil, in a post on X, mocked the Governor.
“After being slammed by the Supreme Court and blocked by the State Government, he’s now resorting to stunts like making students chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ just to irritate the system,” read a rough translation of his post.
“Clearly frustrated, he’s sending a message that “Even if the courts rule against me, I will find other ways to push my agenda.” It’s a dangerous mix of arrogance and defiance that undermines democratic institutions and the principles of the Constitution!,” he added.
NDTV attempted to reach out to Raj Bhavan for a response, but none has arrived yet.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court termed Governor RN Ravi’s decision to withhold assent to 10 key Bills “illegal” and “arbitrary”. The court said the Governor had not acted in “good faith”.
In a landmark judgment, the top court set aside the decisions of the Governor and said the bills shall be “deemed to be cleared” from the date they were presented to the Governor for a second time.
