A controversy over the Raj Bhavan’s Pongal invite to members of parliament and others, in which Governor RN Ravi addressed the state as ‘Tamizhagam’ instead of Tamil Nadu, led to the relief of S Selvaraj, the Joint Director of Public Relations in Raj Bhavan, Chennai, on Thursday, January 12. The invitation in Tamil read, “Tamizhagam Aalunar (Governor of Tamizhagam) RN Ravi and Lakshmi Ravi cordially invite you to participate in the Pongal festival that is scheduled on Thursday, January 12 at the Governor’s Residence (Raj Bhavan), Chennai.”
The invite came under severe criticism from the likes of CPI(M) MP from Madurai Su Venkatesan, who pointed out that this year’s invite used only the emblem of the Union government, while omitting the state symbol. In his tweet on January 10, Su Venkatesan said, “He (Governor Ravi) has refused to use the state symbol because the name Tamil Nadu is part of it. Likewise, shall we expect that the Governor will vacate his rented accommodation (Raj Bhavan) and leave Tamil Nadu?”
This incident is just another episode in a series of conflicts that have occurred between the Tamil Nadu government and the Governor. A day before the invitation was released, RN Ravi had stirred up another controversy after he skipped some portions of his inaugural address in the state assembly. This controversy over the Pongal invite highlights the ongoing tensions between the Governor and the state government, and the need for a resolution to the ongoing disputes.
