Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi.
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: Tamil Nadu politics is not regionalism, it is essentially Tamil "exceptionalism", which insists that Tamil is "distinct" from other languages, Governor R N Ravi said.
"This Tamil exceptionalism is articulated by hatred against other languages, even those that belong to Dravidian family like Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. It is not just Hindi," he said.
Reacting to the governor's views expressed in an interview, State Mines and Minerals Minister S Regupathy said the governor has leveled "baseless accusations in his usual style".
Governor Ravi criticised Tamil politicians, saying they do not really love Tamil, and they haven’t done anything for the promotion of Tamil language or culture. "The reality is that, every year, students are moving away from Tamil medium to English medium. The number of students pursuing their studies in Tamil is declining steadily and steeply," he said in an interview to a TV channel.
Ravi further claimed that the Tamil Nadu government has given "zero budget for research" in Tamil language and culture. "There are over 11 lakh palm leaves manuscripts rotting in the state archive. No money is allotted for their preservation," he said.
Alluding to the controversy surrounding 'Tamil Thai Vazhthu' at a Doordarshan event in 2024, where the Tamil anthem was sung allegedly without the word "Dravida", the governor said "the DMK-led government made a fuss over nothing". He said he was just a guest at the event and the organisers made a mistake, but offered an apology. "In fact, I can sing Tamil Thai Vazhthu much better than many people who talk about Tamil," the governor said.
Recalling another incident that highlighted the tension between the government and the governor -- Ravi had walked out of the Assembly’s first session in January instead of delivering his customary address -- he said it was a "painful decision". "I go to the Assembly to read the statement not to walk out. But, you know, I have a constitutional obligation to defend the Constitution and Article 51A of the Constitution that says the national anthem must be respected," the governor said. Ravi was protesting that the national anthem was not played at the start of the session. He pointed out that in such functions where a governor or president participates, it begins with the national anthem and concludes with it.
In the interview, Ravi also expressed his views on the issues of Jammu and Kashmir, where he spent many years as an intelligence officer, as well as in the North East. Prior to Tamil Nadu, Ravi served as Nagaland Governor with an additional charge of Meghalaya.
Referring to the governor's remark that Dravidam is an illusion, Minister Regupathy told reporters: "Doesn't Governor Ravi know that Dravidam is included in our National Anthem? Or is unable to comprehend it because it is in the Bengali language?"
A Bihari himself, the governor had talked about the time when Biharis were threatened in Tamil Nadu in his interview. But, Regupathy dismissed his claims as "false narratives". "A team of IAS officers came from Jharkhand and Odisha to our state. They met the Biharis in places like Tiruppur and Coimbatore. These immigrants said, 'we are doing well here, we get good economic opportunities'," added the minister.
Rebutting the governor's other claim that the linguistic minorities have no rights and that the Supreme Court had to step in to grant permission to linguistic minorities to take their exams in their mother tongue, Regupathy gave context to the anecdotal reference that Ravi used in his interview. "In 2006, the mandatory Tamil law was introduced for everyone, during the AIADMK government. Linguistic minorities wanted to write the 10th-grade examination in their mother tongue. But the AIADMK government did not grant permission. As a result, they went to the High Court and then went to the Supreme Court and obtained permission. This permission continued until 2023," said Regupathy.
He further said that in 2024, the School Education Department had issued an order and made it possible for them to write in their mother tongues even without special permission. "The government that granted permission to write the examination is our Dravidian Model government, and this government is not against anyone. There is no threat to any language in Tamil Nadu. That is the governor's imagination," said the minister.
To a query regarding the case related to Assembly Bills being sent to governor for his assent, Regupathy said, "The Supreme Court accepted the idea that if the Governor delays the process for a long time, the court can be approached, but it did not accept the idea that [the bill] can be halted/suspended."
Citing SC, Regupathy said if the bill has been withheld for a long period, the government can approach the court for a remedy. "Legally, if six months have passed and it is urgent for us, we can immediately file a writ petition in the Supreme Court, stating that assent for this bill is essential for us. The state government has the right to demand that the Governor's opinion/assent be given immediately," said Regupathy.