Castigated by the Supreme Court docket for withholding key Payments, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has stirred yet one more controversy—this time by allegedly urging college students to chant “Jai Shri Ram” at a school occasion, fuelling a risky nationwide discourse already simmering with rows over the Waqf Act, language politics and the brand new schooling coverage.
Attending a prize distribution ceremony at a government-aided school in Madurai on April 12, Ravi reportedly urged college students to chant “Jai Shri Ram” thrice throughout his handle. The scholars complied.
The episode triggered outrage from political leaders and educational circles, with a number one educational physique calling for his elimination over accusations of non secular partisanship and a blatant disregard for constitutional norms.
“Mr RN Ravi violated his oath of workplace. He did not abide by the Structure and respect its beliefs and establishments,” the State Platform for Frequent Faculty System – Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN) stated in a strongly worded assertion, calling for his ouster for “intentionally violating Article 159 of the Structure of India”.
The educational physique identified that schooling is a secular exercise and college students shouldn’t be subjected to spiritual exhortations, particularly from a constitutional authority.
“By selling the identify of a God from a specific faith, the Governor has failed in his responsibility to protect, shield, and defend the Structure,” PB Prince Gajendra Babu, Normal Secretary of SPCSS-TN, stated within the assertion including that the scholars complied passively.
Babu additionally known as the Governor “illiterate” with regard to his data in regards to the curriculum adopted in Tamil Nadu colleges and faculties.
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“Because of his ignorance and conceitedness, he continues to propagate improper concepts that goal to disturb peace and instigate a gaggle of individuals in opposition to one other,” Babu alleged.
The newest row comes shut on the heels of an unprecedented Supreme Court docket judgment that discovered Governor Ravi’s withholding of assent to 10 Payments—some pending for over three years—“unlawful,” “arbitrary,” and “not in good religion.”
The courtroom, in a uncommon transfer, stated the Payments in query shall be thought of “deemed to be assented to” from the date they have been reintroduced within the state Meeting, marking a legislative win for the DMK-led state administration.
The Governor, already underneath intense political warmth, has now drawn additional criticism for what critics name “stunts” geared toward escalating tensions between Raj Bhavan and the elected authorities.
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Senior Congress chief Sasikanth Senthil, in a put up on X (previously Twitter), lambasted the Governor’s conduct: “After being slammed by the Supreme Court docket and blocked by the State Authorities, he’s now resorting to stunts like making college students chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ simply to annoy the system.”
After being slammed by the Supreme Court docket and blocked by the State Authorities, he’s now resorting to stunts like making college students chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ simply to annoy the system. Clearly pissed off, he’s sending a message that “Even when the courts rule in opposition to me, I’ll discover different… pic.twitter.com/qSxIL1NQje
— Sasikanth Senthil (@s_kanth) April 13, 2025
“Clearly pissed off, he’s sending a message that ‘Even when the courts rule in opposition to me, I’ll discover different methods to push my agenda.’ It’s a harmful mixture of conceitedness and defiance that undermines democratic establishments and the ideas of the Structure!” he added.
This isn’t the primary time Governor Ravi has been at loggerheads with the state administration led by the DMK. The ideological friction between the Governor’s perceived pro-central stance and Tamil Nadu’s fiercely federalist political ecosystem has solely deepened in recent times.