National Anthem Controversy In Tamil Nadu Has Ominous Signs

By Dr. Gyan Pathak

National anthem controversy picked up by the Governor of Tamil Nadu is ominous for the state and the country as well. Moreover, his refusal to follow the tradition relating to recitation of India’s national anthem in the Legislative Assembly of the state is also unwise, since it may not serve any purpose to give an impression that the people and legislators of Tamil Nadu are anti-National. Governor R N Ravi himself had walked off from the assembly without waiting for the playing of the national anthem on February 12, 2024, but surprisingly walked off on January 6, 2025 alleging disrespect of national anthem in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

India is undergoing a very delicate phase of politics, in which national unity among people is far more important than BJP’s Hindutva politics seeking unity among Hindus as against other communities. Many national and international anti-India forces are trying to break the country into pieces, and therefore a Governor is not expected to hand over any tool in their hands to precipitate such a situation. Respecting the tradition is therefore the most appropriate way for anyone on a constitutional post.

However, as the opposition has been alleging, that the ruling establishment at the Centre is misusing the Governors to destabilize the ruling establishments in the states, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi’s latest step is also seen as creating unnecessary controversy against the ruling INDIA bloc led by DMK, indirectly showing them as anti-national, which suits the hyper-nationalism of the BJP. Tamil Nadu elections are also not far away. The term of the Tamil Nadu Vidhan Sabha is to expire on May 10, 2026, and the BJP has been hoping to make deep inroads in the state this time.

It is in this backdrop, Governor RN Ravi’s refusal to deliver his customary address to the Assembly on January 6, is significant. He just walked out in protest of the national anthem not being sung at the beginning of his address. He did not even care the tradition of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly, where the state anthem Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu is sung when the House meets and the National Anthem is sung at the end.

After the Governor RN Ravi walked out of the assembly, the Raj Bhavan said in a statement, “The Constitution of Bharat and the National Anthem were once again insulted in the Tamil Nadu Assembly today. Respecting the National Anthem is among the first Fundamental Duty as enshrined in our Constitution. It is sung in all the state legislatures at the beginning and the end of Governor’s address.”

The Raj Bhavan’s statement read, “Today on arrival of Governor to the House only Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu was sung. Governor respectfully reminded the House of its Constitutional Duty and fervently appealed to the Hon’ble Chief Minister who is the Leader of the House and the Hon’ble Speaker for singing the National Anthem. However, they cussedly refused. It is a matter of grave concern. Not to be a party to such brazen disrespect to the Constitution and the National Anthem, Governor in deep anguish left the House.”

Moreover, this is not the first time the Governor had picked up quarrel with the DMK government over the issue of national anthem. In February 2024 also, the Governor had refused to deliver the customary address in the assembly alleging that it was full of “numerous passages with misleading claims far from truth” while emphasising that the national anthem must be shown due respect and played both at the beginning and end of the Governor’s address. It is worth noting that on February 2024, Governor Ravi not only declined to read the entire customary address, but also walked off from the assembly once the speaker recited the Tamil rendition of the customary address, without waiting for the playing of the National Anthem.

In January 2023, Governor Ravi had also omitted words which indicated about the politics being played by Governor Ravi, allegedly on behalf of the ruling BJP at the Centre. Omitted words included even “secularlism”, “self-respect” and certain portions on Dr B R Ambedkar and Dravidian leaders. It was against the convention that Governor should bound to the speech prepared by the ruling establishment. Then assembly had to pass a resolution to get the prepared speech enter into the document of the House.

RN Ravi has assumed the office of Governor on September 18, 2021, and hence he is expected to know the tradition of the Tamil Nadu Vidhan Sabha. Though he was welcomed by the ruling DMK, fingers were raised on his appointment by its allies INC and VCK, claims were made that there was an ulterior motive of the ruling BJP at the Centre.

Governor Ravi has been picking up unnecessary quarrels with the state government since then. One of the controversies was related to his remission plea for Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict AG Perarivalan, in which the Supreme Court of India had said in April 2022 that such a move strikes at the “very roots” of the country’s “federal structure”.

Governor Ravi has been controversial also in denying approval for bills passed in the Tamil Nadu Vidhan Sabha. In less than one year of his governorship, the pending bills for approval before him by May 31, 2022, were as many as 21.

In January 2023, he alleged that the ruling political party had been regressive in the past fifty years, and also suggested that more appropriate name for Tamil Nadu would be “Tamilagam”. His statement was criticized by the ruling DMK and its allies, while it was welcomed by BJP and their allies, a sure sign of playing politics.

It is not excess to Governor Ravi, if people of India in general, and people of Tamil Nadu in particular expect of him to maintain the dignity of the constitutional post he is holding. He must follow the tradition of the House, and the tradition is not anti-India in any way, except for those who keep very narrow understanding of nationalism. (IPA Service)