Tamil Nadu Governor backtracks on Tamizhagam row after Delhi steps in

After massive political outrage, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Wednesday did a volte-face by clarifying that he referred to the word Tamizhagam only in the “historical cultural context” and never suggested a name change for the state, which prides itself on language and identity politics.

In a terse statement, the Governor, who left for New Delhi in the morning, also said it will be “erroneous” and “far-fetched” to interpret or infer his usage of Tamizhagam as a suggestion to change the state’s name.

Sources told DH that the statement was issued after an intervention from the top brass of the Union Government, which realised that the Governor’s remarks haven’t gone down well in the state, where the BJP is still taking baby steps to make political inroads.

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The Governor’s statement, made on January 4, that Tamizhagam was a more appropriate name for the state than Tamil Nadu while addressing volunteers of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam brought him under fire from almost all political parties.

Parties including DMK and AIADMK not just rejected the Governor’s suggestion but also categorically asserted that the state will only be known as Tamil Nadu. The U-turn by the Governor is also seen as a political victory for the DMK, which is locked in an intense battle with the former over several ideological and administrative issues.

‘Referred to Tamizhagam in cultural context’

In the statement, the Governor said he referred to the word Tamizhagam while dwelling upon the historical cultural connection between Tamil Nadu and Varanasi.

“I referred to the word 'Tamizhagam'. In those days, there was no 'Tamil Nadu'. Hence, in historical cultural context, I referred to the word 'Tamizhagam' as a "more appropriate expression". An interpretation or inference that it was a suggestion to change the name of Tamil Nadu is erroneous and far-fetched,” Ravi said in the statement.

However, scholars punched holes in the Governor’s statement that there was no Tamil Nadu in “those days” pointing to its rich mention in Tamil classics like Paripadal, Pathitrupathu, Silappathikaram, and Manimekalai.

The Governor didn’t stop at using the word at the said event alone. His office addressed him as Tamizhaga Aalunar (Governor) instead of Tamil Nadu Aalunar in an invitation for Pongal celebrations at the Raj Bhavan even as Ravi himself used Tamizhagam at an event in Thanjavur on January 11.

Without understanding the basis of the speech, the Governor said the arguments that he is against the word Tamil Nadu have become a topic of discussion. “Hence, I am giving this clarification to put an end to it," he added.

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BJP’s damage control exercise

As the remarks cast a shadow on the BJP’s plans to woo Tamils by priding over their “rich language and literature”, the saffron party’s TN unit chief K Annamalai distanced himself from the name change suggestion mooted by the Governor.

The remarks by the Governor come at a time the BJP is consciously avoiding raking up such sensitive issues as it makes a concerted push to make inroads in Tamil Nadu. The party has not just stayed away from issues like language, but is trying to localise the BJP to add some local (Dravidian) flavour to its political discourse.

Highly-placed sources told DH that the top brass of the BJP wasn’t happy with the Governor’s statement and his clarification is part of the damage control exercise.

“The penalty that one has to pay for such statements in TN is quite huge. In a state like TN where identity and cultural politics take the centre stage, statements like the one made by the Governor should have been avoided at any cost,” a senior BJP leader from New Delhi told DH.

Another source in the know said the Central leadership did ask the TN unit on the repercussions of the Governor’s statement and the feedback it received was that such a statement could send a wrong signal among the people of the state to suspect BJP’s intentions vis-à-vis Tamil Nadu.

“Such statements will only give room for the people to question the importance that the BJP government attaches to Tamil. We saw the Prime Minister and Home Minister reaching out to Tamils through the Kashi Tamil Sangamam. Two months later, such remarks have almost watered down the efforts. So, it was decided to nip it (the issue) in the bud,” the source said.

Tamil Nadu: cultural references

Both words find mention in Tamil literature, but Tamil Nadu is being accepted and Tamizhagam opposed, and there is a long story to it. In the 1950s, Tamil scholars like Ma Po Sivagnanam and DMK founder C N Annadurai dished out historical evidence to say the name Tamil Nadu was at least 2,000 years old with it finding mention in Tamil classics like Paripadal, Pathitrupathu, Silappathikaram, and Manimekalai.

In one of his articles, Annadurai said, Silappathikaram mentions ‘then Tamizh naannadu’ (good Tamil Nadu) and inferred that it is only in the later centuries, the three kingdoms, Cheras, Cholas, and Pandiyas, might have come into existence.

How did Tamil Nadu come into being?

The demand to rename the then Madras state first surfaced in the 1950s after states were reorganized on linguistic basis and was vociferously raised after a Congressman from Virudhunagar, Sankaralinganar, died in October 1956. He died after fasting for three months demanding renaming of the Madras state.

The then-fledgling DMK, which was occupying the opposition benches, moved a resolution in the Assembly on May 7, 1957, demanding that Madras be renamed as Tamil Nadu. However, the resolution was defeated as only 42 members voted in favour with the then Chief Minister K Kamaraj opposing the move and his Congress MLAs voting against it.

Despite several attempts by DMK and other parties, the resolution could not be passed in the Assembly due to Congress’ steadfast opposition to renaming of the Madras state. But the DMK’s emphatic victory in 1967 overthrowing the Congress, made Tamil Nadu a reality.

Annadurai moved a resolution in the assembly on July 18, 1967, proposing renaming of Madras state as Tamil Nadu. “Tamil Nadu is a state which is part of India. It is not an independent country because of the name,” Annadurai had told the Assembly, before uttering Tamil Nadu thrice on the floor of the House.

The resolution was passed, and Tamil Nadu came into being on January 14, 1969.