Chennai:
In the Tamil Nadu versus Tamizhagam controversy fueled by Governor RN Ravi’s recent remarks about “a more appropriate name” for the state.
An invite from the Governor’s House, which uses “Tamizhagam” instead of Tamil Nadu, has incensed Chief Minister MK Stalin and his allies, who have demanded Mr Ravi’s removal.
The invite for Pongal festival at the Governor’s House Raj Bhavan, which is in Tamil, also misses the state government’s emblem and features only the emblem of the government of India.
The English version of the invite uses the name Tamil Nadu.
At an event last week, Governor Ravi had said: “Everything applicable for the whole of the country, Tamil Nadu will say no. It has become a habit. So many theses have been written – all false and poor fiction. This must be broken. Truth must prevail. Tamizhagam is a more appropriate word to call it. The rest of the country suffered a lot of devastation at the hands of foreigners for a long time.”
Tamil Nadu means “the nation of Tamils” while Tamizhagam means the “abode of the Tamil people” and is the ancient name for the region.
The ruling DMK and its allies accuse the Governor of pushing the agenda of the opposition BJP and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) by pitching the name “Tamizhagam”.
“He makes statements that are factually incorrect and potentially dangerous,” said DMK leader TR Baalu.
Mr Ravi’s invite, though a few days old, has delivered more provocation after he walked out of the Tamil Nadu assembly yesterday in a row with the state government over his speech.
CPI(M) MP Su Venkatesan shared screenshots on Twitter comparing two invites from the Governor’s house. He said the invitation for Pongal referred to him as “Tamizhagam Governor” while an earlier invite had said: “Tamil Nadu Governor”.
“The invitation from the Governor’s House to the portrait ceremony said Governor of Tamil Nadu. Now the invitation for the Pongal festival says, Tamizhagam Governor. He should leave the state at the same speed as he left the House yesterday. He should be expelled,” the Left leader wrote.
Mr Ravi’s walkout in the assembly marked a dramatic escalation of his standoff with the state government. It was his show of protest after Chief Minister Stalin urged the Speaker to remove parts of his speech that were not approved by the state government.
The governor, while reading out a speech that is traditionally prepared by the state government, edited bits, skipping references to secularism, social justice and women empowerment.
In their protests, DMK and allies shouted “Tamil Nadu” repeatedly in the assembly. The hashtag #GetOutRavi also trended on Twitter briefly.
Source link: https://www.ndtv.com/tamil-nadu-news/tamil-nadu-governor-rn-ravis-pongal-invite-day-after-assembly-speech-set-to-escalate-row-3678791