Excitement around session up, thanks to debate on Guv’s Tamizhagam talk

CHENNAI: As the high decibel debate over Governor RN Ravi’s statement on Tamil Nadu and Dravidam rages on, excitement surrounding the session of the state Assembly beginning Monday, December 9 has gone up.

While the proponents of Dravidam and Tamil nationalism vent their ire at the Governor’s controversial statement, sympathisers of the ruling DMK and Tamil nationalism have issued a call to boycott the Governor. The social media space was abuzz with suggestions since Friday for starting the Assembly session without the Governor delivering his customary address in the first session of the calendar year. Critics of the ruling party have joined the ordinary sympathisers in making a strong pitch for replicating Telangana and starting the session without the Governor making a speech in the Assembly hall.

When asked, state president of the DMK student’s wing, Rajiv Gandhi said, “Abolishing the post of Governor is our political principle. We cannot do it alone. It can be done only with the support of other states. It is our long-term agenda. Just because the Governor violates the Constitution, we will not violate it. Tradition insists that the session must commence with the Governor’s address. Changing the incumbent Governor is our immediate demand. The next Governor should act in accordance with the Constitution.”

“The Governor can only read the statement prepared by the government. He cannot add a word of his own in it. Rules do not permit it. If he does not want to do it, it is up to him to decide,” he added.

Significantly, the ruling DMK, which issued a notice in the Parliament demanding Governor Ravi’s recall and even boycott his tea party and events at universities, has so far chosen to either keep calm or not state anything as belligerent as obliging the boycott call of sympathizers and critics. Interaction with DMK insiders also suggested that the party is relishing Raj Bhavan’s verbal excess, which has given a fresh ammunition to the party to revive the Dravidian and Tamil sentiments to its advantage and corner the BJP and their ilk.