Don’t change Governor Ravi at least till Lok Sabha polls: Stalin to PM

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday made an “unusual” request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He appealed to them not to change Governor R N Ravi at least till the 2024 Lok Sabha as his utterances against Dravidianism were adding “more strength” to the DMK’s election campaign.

Mocking the Governor, Stalin said Ravi should be allowed to continue in the Constitutional post in Tamil Nadu and not be changed. “Some people are sitting in palaces and talking about Dravidam. They want to know what Dravidam is. It is nothing but a way of life. The Governor should be allowed to continue (in Tamil Nadu). He is running a parallel campaign which is actually adding more strength to our campaign,” Stalin said.

He went on to make an appeal to Modi and Shah not to change the Governor. “Please don’t change him. At least till 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Because his continuance will have several advantages for us. Moreover, the Governor’s statements aren’t being taken seriously by the people. No one gives importance to his statements,” Stalin added.

The Chief Minister’s dig at Ravi and making light of his statements against Dravidianism comes amid a tug-of-war between his Government and the Raj Bhavan over a petrol bomb attack outside the sprawling office-cum-residence of the Governor on Wednesday.

Director General of Police (DGP) Shankar Jiwal rejected the suggestions by the Governor’s office that the Greater Chennai Police was “preventing a detailed investigation” into the attack by diluting the offence to an “act of simple vandalism” and getting the accused remanded after “waking up” the judge at midnight. Jiwal, in his response, said the investigation into the incident was progressing as per law.

Though Stalin’s statements are political, there is an opinion in political circles in Tamil Nadu that the Governor, through his out-of-turn remarks and actions that turn into controversies, is indirectly helping the ruling DMK rather than “putting the government in the dock.”

The Governor and the DMK dispensation have been at loggerheads over several issues, including NEET, appointment of vice-chancellors, and naming a Chairman for the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission.