Rattled by Dravidian ideology, Guv Ravi peddling flagrant lies: Stalin

Launching a broadside against Governor's ideological anti-Dravidian remarks, Stalin charged him with peddling flagrant lies raising the doubt as to whether he is acting at the behest of a certain people.

Chennai: Throwing the gauntlet at Governor RN Ravi, for his attack on the DMK Government and the Dravidian ideology, Chief Minister MK Stalin asked whether the Raj Bhavan was assiduously working for the return of the regressive ‘sanatan’ era. The DMK chief chose to be explicit in taking on Ravi on the ideological plane with a spirited defence of the Dravidian creed. He also refuted the Raj Bhavan’s criticism of his government’s functioning with facts.

“Sitting in the Raj Bhavan, the governor is entertaining the desire of running the administration, thinking that he is a dictator. It was during the British era that the governor had powers, relegating an equal share to the elected representatives. The governor, who is part of the government, speaking like an opposition leader raises the doubt among the people about the intent behind posting him here and whether it was to disturb peace in the state,” Stalin said addressing a public meeting in the city, organised to mark the DMK stepping into the third year in office, also part of the 1222 events to campaign on the achievements of the government in the last two years.

“The governor has said that Dravidian ideology is an expired one. I want to tell him that it was the Dravidian ideology that has made extinct the Sanatan creed, Varnashrama and Manu Dharma. Dravidian ideology has the potential to fight the Aryan ideology. Whether it is alien invasion or Aryan invasion, it is the weapon to stop it. This is the reason for the governor being rattled,” he said adding, “Dravidian ideology and Dravidian model is not destructive but a constructive and inclusive one. Hence, he need not be apprehensive.”

Stalin accused Ravi of peddling flagrant lies, acting as the handmaiden of certain people. On the criticism of the law and order situation being alarming, Stalin wondered whether the state was burning like BJP-ruled Manipur or a recent riot like in Karnataka, also ruled by the saffron party. On Tamil Nadu link to Pakistani arms smuggling racket charge, Stalin jogged Governor's memory that it had come to light prior to 2021 before the DMK assumed office and since then there is no information about it.

Stalin termed Ravi’s claim that no case had been registered on the ‘attack' on his convoy as an ‘unadulterated lie’ and that there was no attack as video footage shows his convoy had passed with police protection and the protestors had burled the black flags and 70 people were arrested and cases were booked against them.

On Governor’s claim that two finger tests were carried out on the minor daughters of the Dikshithars (hereditary priests of the Chidambaram Natarajar temple), the DMK patriarch dismissed it as another lie. "Only on prima facie evidence for child marriage, cases were registered and the victims were never subjected to two finger tests. Does the governor bats for the return of the Sanatan era when girls at the tender age of eight years were married off. 11 persons were arrested. What fault has he found in this? Is he supporting child marriage? Has he come to Tamil Nadu to monitor this?” were his posers to Ravi.

The DMK chief questioned the logic of Ravi for bemoaning the absence of books other than Tamil and English at the ultra-modern library in Madurai, named after DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, asking “Whether libraries in Gujarat have books in all the languages listed in the Constitution?” Ravi had termed it as linguistic apartheid.

On Ravi's claim that the DMK government of blocking the NGO ‘Akshya Patra’ from providing breakfast to school students. Stalin asked why should a private organisation when the government itself had launched the breakfast shceme. “Why is he becoming the trumpeter of a private organisation? People naturally have a doubt whether he functioning as the handmaiden of a few,” he said adding, “we will not be cowed down. We will not be afraid if there is any attempt to browbeat us either through the governor or through something else."

Then sounding the poll bugle, the DMK president urged the cadre to be prepared for the upcoming LS polls. “The parliamentary elections are on the horizon and we will forge unity among the political parties across the country and form an ideal government in Delhi. For that, be ready and be prepared,” he said.