Tamil Nadu or Tamizhagam row: Guv Ravi's Pongal invitation sparks new controversy

A day after the face-off in the Assembly, it has emerged that Governor RN Ravi continues to taunt the DMK government and the Dravidian narrative to no end. The Raj Bhavan's invite for Pongal has only the Government of India's emblem while that of the Tamil Nadu Government, with the famed Srivilliputhur Andal Temple, is conspicuously missing, writes ETV Bharat's MC Rajan.

Chennai: Stoking a fresh controversy, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has extended invitations for the Pongal festival in the Raj Bhavan without the official emblem of the state. It also leaves out Tamil Nadu, the official nomenclature of the state, and mentions him as 'Thamizhaga Alunar' (Alunar is governor in Tamil).

This is in stark contrast to the previous year's invite, wherein his designation is given as 'Tamil Nadu Governor'. First to spot this change was the CPI(M) MP from Madurai, Su Venkatesan, also a Sahitya Akademi awardee. Posting both invites on Twitter, he said it was not an inadvertent one but a conscious decision to exclude the emblem of the state.

The state emblem carries the famed Srivilliputhur Sri Andal temple and Andal is a revered Vaishnavite saint poet and her composition “Thirupaavai” is sung during the Tamil month of Margazhi (Mid December to Mid January) in temples and homes of the devout. “The emblem of the Government of India is in three places. Since the state emblem has 'Tamil Nadu', he has not used it in the invite,” Venkatesan pointed out and asked, “Can we expect that he will relieve himself from using the Tamil Nadu taxpayers money and the residence he occupies?”

What fuels the burning controversy is Ravi walking the talk on the issue of the state's name. Though 'Tamil Nadu' and 'Thamizhagam' are similar and used interchangeably, the former is the official one and it has a long history. Even the state unit of the Congress is 'Tamil Nadu Congress Committee' since the 1930s when the state was Madras Presidency.

At an event to felicitate volunteers of Kashi Tamil Sangamam last week at the Raj Bhavan, Ravi had said, “Thamizagam would be more appropriate than Tamil Nadu.” Not stopping with that, he faulted the Dravidian ideology of creating and perpetuating a false narrative.

“In Tamil Nadu a different type of narrative has been created. Unfortunately, there is regressive politics for over 50 years that we are Dravidian and not part of Bharat. To everything acceptable to the whole country, Tamil Nadu will say no. It has become a habit, reinforced by all sections, including academia.”

Matters came to a head on Monday when Ravi, deviated from the Governor's address, skipping certain portions including the name Tamil Nadu among others. Instead of 'Tamil Nadu government', he read 'This Government'.

After the confrontation in the assembly resulting in the unprecedented walkout by the governor in a huff, the first in the history of the state, following an unusual resolution moved by Stalin censuring him, the ruling DMK appears to be soberer. At the DMK legislature party meeting, Stalin issued a gag order, restraining the MLAs from criticising the governor.

However, allies of the DMK are in no mood to give up the fight to 'paint the governor as anti-Tamil'. While Congress legislature party leader K Selvaperunthagai said he would move a resolution against the governor, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Left parties have announced a siege of the Raj Bhavan later this week, to press for Ravi's recall.

Meanwhile, posters of 'Get out Ravi' cropped in the state capital. They were seen around Valluvar Kottam and Anna Salai in Chennai Tuesday morning. Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) workers also protested against the Governor demanding his removal. Irate TPDK workers also burnt the governor's effigy in Coimbatore but the police prevented them from repeating the act in Chennai.

More than 30 cadres of TPDK workers were detained in Chennai when they tried to burn the Governor's effigy as they did not have permission for any kind of protest, police said. Speaking about the protest, TPDK's West Chennai Secretary Kumaran said, "The governor tries to impose BJP and RSS ideology and acts as an RSS voice. We will continue our protest".