Chennai: Perhaps for the first time, alliance parties of the ruling DMK on Monday boycotted the Governor R.N.Ravi’s customary New Year address to the Tamil Nadu Assembly for
allegedly trying to impose the BJP and RSS ideology in the State and for acting against the Constitution.
Referring to the Governor’s recent remark that the State be said “Tamizhagam’ instead of Tamil Nadu, Floor leaders of the DMK’s principal ally, the Congress, CPI, CPI(M),MDMK, VCK, TVK and MMK, crrying placards boycotted his address by shpiring slogans
“Tamil Nadu…Tamil Nadu’.
Later, the Floor leaders of the DMK’s alliance parties shouted slogans in front of the media denouncing the Governor and asked him to ‘go back’ if he is not able to comprehend the ruling DMK’s Dravidian model of governnance.
Alleging that the Governor was acting against the basic tenets of the Constitution and for not pronouncing the world ‘Dravidian model’ mentioned in his address and not using the word ‘This Government’ instead of Tamil Nadu in his subsequent address after mentioning it
initially, the alliance party floor leaders said they were protesting against the Governor only and not the address.
Questioning the inordinate delay in clearing the Bill banning online gambling in the State, they wanted the Governor to take moral responsibility for the deaths caused by huge loss of money due to online gambling and demanded him to give his immediate assent to it.
Accusing the Governor of acting against the Constitution and trying to impose the BJP and RSS ideology, they urged Ravi to go back accusing him of trying to run a parallel government.
Earlier, soon after the Governor began his address in the Assembly, members of the DMK’s allies shouted slogans like ‘Long live Tamil Nadu’ and ‘Condemn the Governor’ and staged a noisy walk out from the House expressing their Opposition to him for his remarks that it would be appropriate to call the state as ‘Thamizhagam’ instead of ‘Tamil Nadu’.
It may be recalled that the DMK regime and the Raj Bhavan has been at loggerheads on a host of issues concerning the state and the DMK and its allies had been demanding the recall of the Governor for trying impose the BJP and RSS ideology in the State.
The Opposition PMK MLAs also boycotted the Governor’s address condemning him for not clearing the Bill banning online gambling in the State which was passed in the Assembly.