'Governor is insulting the position': Tamil Nadu CM Stalin criticises R N Ravi for not reading speech in Assembly

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday claimed that Governor R N Ravi "insulted" the gubernatorial position he holds, by not reading out the speech at the commencement of the Assembly session.

Stating that he was constrained to criticise the Governor for his actions, the Chief Minister said many governors that Tamil Nadu has seen in the past were not like Ravi.

"I am facing the crisis that was not witnessed during the tenure of former Chief Ministers C N Annadurai, M Karunanidhi, M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa...Governor (Ravi) is insulting the position he holds by not reading the speech at the start of the Assembly session and insisting upon playing the national anthem at the start of the Assembly session," the chief minister said in his reply to the Assembly.

The National Anthem, Stalin said, was always played at the conclusion of the Governor's speech in TN Assembly and Tamil Thai Vazhthu (Mother Tamil invocation) was played at the commencement.

"We are not inferior to anyone in patriotism, and no one needs to teach us," Stalin said and added that the crisis was something not new to him. "I have faced numerous challenges in the past and overcame them," he said.

On the crime graph in the state, the Chief Minister said the crimes during the current DMK regime were fewer compared to the incidents that happened during the AIADMK rule.