
Row over TN Governor Ravi asking students to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'
The Congress criticised the Governor and accused him of speaking like a religious leader
Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has stirred a controversy after he asked students of an engineering college in Madurai on Saturday (April 12) to chant “Jai Shri Ram” during an event. The video of the same has gone viral on social media.
Also read: Here are the 10 TN Bills now deemed approved after SC’s rap for Governor Ravi
Reacting to this, the ruling DMK slammed Ravi and said his call to students goes against the secular values of the country.
DMK, Congress react
“This goes against the secular values of the country. Why does the Governor time and again wants to violate the Constitution. Why has he not resigned yet? He is an RSS spokesperson. We know how he violated the federal tenets of the Country and how Supreme Court has shown him his place,” DMK spokesperson Dharanidharan said.
Also read: Governor Ravi honours Thiruvalluvar in saffron, Congress demands his recall
The Congress too criticised the Governor and accused him of speaking like a religious leader.
JMH Aassan Maulana, Congress MLA from Tamil Nadu, told ANI news agency, “He is in one of the highest posts in this country, and he is speaking like a religious leader, which is bringing trouble to this nation. India has diverse religions, diverse languages and diverse communities, and the Governor keeps telling children to chant Jai Shri Ram. It is promoting inequality. It's promoting some religious ideology, which the Governor should not have done, but he has become a propaganda master of the RSS and the BJP.”
'Ravi should be removed'
SPCSS-TN (State Platform for Common School System – Tamil Nadu), a non-profit organisation, called for the removal of Governor Ravi.
“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,” it said in a statement.
The latest row involving Ravi comes days after the Supreme Court pulled him up for withholding 10 Bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly.