Chennai: The first session of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly for the year began on a tense note on Tuesday after Governor R.N. Ravi walked out of the House without delivering his customary address, reportedly citing “disrespect” to the National Anthem and objections to the manner in which proceedings were conducted.
According to media reports, as the session commenced, Speaker M. Appavu urged the Governor to adhere strictly to constitutional convention and read out only the address approved by the elected government. Amid protests from the treasury benches, the Speaker underlined that legislative procedure must prevail, stating that only members of the Legislative Assembly are entitled to express opinions within the House.
Governor Ravi responded from the well of the Assembly, expressing displeasure over what he described as interruptions during his address. He termed the situation “unfortunate” and said he was “disappointed”, adding that the National Anthem had not been accorded due respect. He also claimed that his microphone was repeatedly switched off.
Shortly thereafter, the Governor left the Assembly without completing or formally delivering the address, triggering a fresh confrontation between Raj Bhavan and the elected House. The walkout comes against the backdrop of earlier disagreements between the Governor and the state government over constitutional protocol and the content of official communications.
Later, the Tamil Nadu Lok Bhavan issued a release explaining the reasons why the Governor left the House without delivering the address. “The Governor’s Mike was repeatedly switched and he was not allowed to speak,” it said, adding that the prepared address contained “numerous unsubstantiated claims and misleading statements” and that several issues of concern raised by the Governor were not reflected in the text.
The episode has once again brought into focus the growing friction between the constitutional head of the state and the legislature, setting a contentious tone for the session ahead.
