Tamil Nadu Governor's Remarks On Dravidan Rule Elicits Sharp DMK Response

The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu on Thursday took strong exception to state Governor RN Ravi's certain remarks against Dravidian rule and accused him of making controversial comments with an aim to create confusion in the state.

Senior DMK leader and Lok Sabha MP TR Baalu, referring to reports in a section of media on the Governor's sharp criticism of the 50 years of Dravidian rule in Tamil Nadu, said he should be ideally making such comments from Kamalalayam, the state BJP headquarters and not the Raj Bhavan.

The Governor has been frequently dwelling on topics like Sanatana, Aryan and Dravidian concepts, besides talking about Tirukkural (a set of Tamil couplets touching upon various aspects of life) and colonialism "which are dangerous and absurd," Mr Baalu said in a release.

"His intention has been to take back to Varnashrama (a classification) days by speaking about sectarian politics. While he was speaking subtle politics so far, he has started to openly talk like a politician," Mr Baalu, DMK Treasurer and its Parliamentary Party Leader, charged.

Governor RN Ravi was making such comments with the aim of creating "division and confusion," he alleged.

Referring to reported remarks of Governor Ravi against Dravidian rule, Mr Baalu said "it is condemnable he is making statements that have to be done from Kamalalayam, from the Raj Bhavan." Trying to control the "political reins" from a Constitutionally authorised yet "appointed position" amounts to making a mockery of the Constitution, Mr Baalu added. Ravi's take on Dravidian rule was reflective of the BJP's electoral politics, he alleged.

Giving statistics, the MP said Tamil Nadu was better positioned in many economic indicators, including its share in GDP and inflation and questioned if Governor Ravi was not aware of the growth trajectory of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

According to a Raj Bhavan release late on Wednesday, Mr Ravi, at an event said Tamil Nadu is the soul, an idea and an identity of the nation and that we should keep it alive to "erase some falsehood and fiction of negative approach prevailing in the state." "There has been regressive politics with wrong habit of refusing every thing that benefit all section of people including academicians blindly for their own interests, claiming that the state is not integrally part of India," it quoted him as saying.

The ruling party and the Governor have had a number of face-offs, including his pending assents to Assembly bills like the one seeking NEET exemption to Tamil Nadu and the DMK has been critical of him on these matters.