CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has said that the people of the state are in anger over the distorted rendition of the State anthem, without the reference to the glory of “Dravida” land, at a function of Doordarshan Chennai in which Governor RN Ravi participated.
Udhayanidhi Stalin demanded that the Union Government immediately recall the Governor who, he alleged, wanted to destroy unity.
“In the ‘DD Tamil’ Hindi celebration program held with the participation of TN Governor RN Ravi, the line ‘Dravida Thirunadu’ has been removed from the Tamizh Thaai Vaazhthu (State anthem). Tamil Nadu is in a state of anger for that,” Udhayanidhi Stalin said in a post on X on Friday.
“Our leader (M K Stalin) who walks in Annadurai’s path does not need to be taught a lesson about ‘dignity’,” Udhayanidhi Stalin said in an apparent reference to the Governor’s allegation that the Chief Minister had lowered the dignity of his office by making “racist” remark against him.
Governor Ravi’s remarks came after Chief Minister Stalin wondered if the former was the “Governor” or an “Aryan”. The Chief Minister said this while condemning the distorted rendition of the State anthem at the DD Chennai function.
“Hon’ble Chief Minister Thiru.@mkstalin has issued a regrettable tweet this evening in which he made a racist remark against me and levelled false allegation of showing disrespect to Tamizh Thaai Vaazhthu… Making racist remark and alleging incorrect imputations against governor by the chief minister is unfortunately cheap and lowers the dignity of the high constitutional office of the chief minister,” the Governor said in a post from the X handle of Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan.
Earlier, sharing a video of the incomplete rendition, CM Stalin alleged this was the Governor’s “deliberate disrespect” to Tamil Nadu and its people. He reiterated his demand to the Union government to recall the Governor.MK Stalin said that Tamil language is the race and lifeblood of Dravidians, and said that if racism is the mother tongue of this land, then it is his pride.
“A few questions for the Hon’ble Governor, who has responded to my strong criticism for not singing the line ‘Dekkanamum Ittishita Dravidanal Tirunadum’ in Tamil at the closing ceremony of the Hindi Month celebration. Shouldn’t you, who say ‘I will sing Tamil greetings with full devotion’, immediately condemn them for not completing the song? the TN CM posted on X.
“You have said ‘It is unfortunately cheap for a Chief Minister to make racist comments against a Governor with false allegations’. Governor, Tamil is our race! It is our lifeblood! Tamils are the ones who gave their lives to save the Tamil language. It is the soil that laid the foundations of the First Constitutional Amendment and bears the histories of the Indian anti-imposition struggle. If racism is the mother tongue of this land, it is our pride,” he added.
MK Stalin also alleged that the central government had not done enough for the development of the Tamil language. (ANI)