DMK Worker Suspended For Abusing Governor Amid Showdown

A member of Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK party has been suspended for publicly abusing and threatening Governor RN Ravi amid an ongoing row between the two sides that spiked this week over a speech in the assembly.

Speaking at a party gathering, Shivaji Krishnamoorthy had attacked the Governor for skipping parts of the speech, written for him by the state government as is custom, and dropped references to leaders like BR Ambedkar and Periyar.

The DMK member said if Governor RN Ravi can't take Ambedkar's name, he should go to Kashmir so that he would be gunned down by extremists.

"In Tamil Nadu, if this man refuses to utter the name of Ambedkar, my forefather who gave the constitution to India, do I have the right to hit him with a slipper or not? Didn't you take an oath in the name of the constitution? Wasn't it Ambedkar, my grandfather, who wrote it? If you won't say his name, you go to Kashmir. We ourselves will send an extremist. Let him gun him down," Shivaji Krishnamoorthy said.

The DMK distanced itself from the remarks, saying the party respects the Governor and the hateful remarks were an individual's speech.

The BJP demanded stern action on these comments and called Mr Krishnamoorthy a "renowned DMK abuser".

BJP leader Khushbu Sundar hit out at Chief Minister MK Stalin, blaming him for "the new culture".

"I am not surprised at all. This is the new culture under CM @mkstalin. I pity the man in the grave who left behind a legacy. I am sure he will be churning in his grave. Such men do not deserve to be on a public platform. They insult their upbringing & their mother. Appalling," she tweeted.

BJP's state vice president Narayanan Tripathi has demanded Mr Krishnamoorthy's immediate arrest. "He should be put under the NIA scanner since he had said that he will send terrorists to kill governor Ravi in Jammu and Kashmir," he told news agency ANI. BJP president K Annamalai said the DMK has always indulged in 'abusive' politics. "They have always abused leaders holding higher constitutional posts, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We have written to Tamil Nadu DGP seeking immediate action. The hands of the police are tied. Local DMK leaders treat police stations as their own offices," Mr Annamalai told ANI.

The latest row between the Governor and the state government started after Governor N Ravi on Monday walked out of the assembly after the Assembly adopted a resolution to record only the Governor's original speech, which was prepared by the state government and reportedly approved by the Speaker. RN Ravi walked off in a huff, without even waiting for the national anthem, sung moments later.

The Governor had skipped parts of the address prepared by the state government which had references to secularism, describing Tamil Nadu as a haven of peace, and mention of leaders like Periyar, BR Ambedkar, K Kamaraj, CN Annadurai, and Karunanidhi, after which the Chief Minister moved the resolution. He also did not read the reference to the 'Dravidian model' that the ruling DMK promotes and showcases.

MK Stalin said the Governor's action was "against Assembly traditions".