Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India] January 20 : Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Saravanan Annadurai launched a scathing attack on Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi after the latter walked out of the Assembly session, accusing him of behaving in a wayward manner.
Speaking to ANI, he questioned the Governor's conduct and accountability further. The DMK leader alleged that the Governor was acting at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"The Governor is a silly man occupying a high constitutional office. Nobody expected that he would act in this wayward manner. He prepared a speech, enacted a drama, and ran away. He's in the lap of luxury at Raj Bhavan, at whose cost? At the cost of the taxpayers of the state of Tamil Nadu. What has he done for the people of Tamil Nadu? Nothing. These are all the frustrations of Amit Shah vomited out through RN Ravi's mouth. We have said this a number of times," he said.
Escalating his criticism, Annadurai said that the Governor should step down if he wished to engage in political discourse.
"If he wants to make any political statement, let him resign. Let him get out of this post and speak about these issues after becoming the BJP spokesperson," he added.
Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi walked out of the state legislative assembly without delivering the customary address on the opening day of the first session of the year.
Governor Ravi arrived to address the House, with leaders from several political parties present. The Governor demanded that the national anthem be played after the Tamil Anthem, and when the Speaker, Appavu, refused, the Governor walked out without reading the opening address.
This is the third time he has staged a walkout after skipping the customary address for the past two years. In the years 2024 and 2025, the Governor did not deliver the address to the Assembly. Last year, he walked out of the assembly because the national anthem was not played at the start of his address.
Lok Bhavan, Tamil Nadu, later issued a press release explaining why Governor RN Ravi walked out of the assembly before delivering his inaugural address.
The release says, "The Governor's mic was repeatedly switched off, and he was not allowed to speak. Atrocities against Dalits and sexual violence against Dalit women are sharply increasing. However, it is totally bypassed in the speech. National Anthem is yet again insulted, and the Fundamental Constitutional Duty is disregarded."