DMK allies to boycott Governor’s Republic Day reception

DMK’s stand on the reception will only be decided by Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday morning

Alliance partners of the DMK including Congress and VCK have decided to boycott the reception hosted by Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Republic Day even as there was no clarity on the DMK’s stand.

Congress, VCK, and CPI have announced that they will not attend the reception while sources in the DMK said the party’s stand on the reception will only be decided by Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday morning. The DMK and its allies had boycotted Pongal celebrations at the Raj Bhavan earlier this month.

Alliance partners cited the Governor “sitting on” several bills, including the one relating to a ban on online gambling, and his frequent utterances that “only reflect” the policies of the RSS and the BJP as reasons to boycott the tea party.

K Selvaperunthagai, leader of the Congress Legislature Party, confirmed to DH that the party will boycott the event.

Also Read — DMK rejects Tamil Nadu Guv clarification on 'Tamizhagam,' claims his intention was to project DMK as divisive party

“The Governor is acting as a puppet of the BJP government which is ruling at the Centre. He is being encouraged to run a parallel government against a democratically elected government. We hope that he realises his Constitutional duties and conform with them,” the CLP leader said.

Referring to Governor Ravi’s speech on January 23 in which he said India’s history will have to be “rewritten”, Selvaperunthagai said such statements only show that he continues to be “the face of RSS.” “When we thought that the Governor has put an end to the Tamizhagam controversy, he stoked another row by talking about rewriting history. We think he is here only to propagate the ideals of the RSS,” he said.

In his statement, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan referred to Ravi being addressed as Tamizhaga Aalunar (Governor) instead of the standard Tamil Nadu Aalunar in the invites sent for Pongal celebrations. “We don’t believe that the Governor has changed his ideological stance. On the contrary, we believe the Governor retracting his statement on the Tamizhagam controversy as a change in BJP’s stance,” Thirumavalavan said.

The DMK and the Governor are engaged in a running battle over a host of issues, including on NEET.