A controversy has erupted in Tamil Nadu after a line from the state anthem, Tamil Thai Valthu, was omitted during its rendition at a Central government event attended by Governor RN Ravi. The incident occurred on Friday at the valedictory of Hindi month and the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Chennai Doordarshan held at office in the capital city. The omission soon led to a heated exchange between Governor Ravi and Chief Minister MK Stalin with the latter accusing the governor of disrespecting Tamil culture and calling for his immediate recall.
The controversy began when a troupe reciting the anthem inadvertently skipped a line referring to the greatness of the Dravidian land. The omitted line, “Thekkanamum Adhil sirantha Dravida Nal Thiru naadum,” celebrates the Dravidian heritage in the Deccan region. Doordarshan Kendra quickly issued an apology, attributing the error to a mistake by the performers.
However, the incident took a political turn when Stalin accused Governor Ravi of deliberately allowing the omission to go unchallenged.
Tamil Nadu CM Stalin Vs Governor RN Ravi
In a sharp rebuke, Stalin demanded the Union government recall Ravi, claiming he had insulted the people of Tamil Nadu by not addressing the issue immediately.
Governor Ravi responded swiftly, taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to criticise Stalin’s accusations. He rejected the claims, stating, “I recite the full Tamil Thai Valthu with reverence and precision at every function,” and added that Stalin’s remarks were “unfortunately cheap” and damaging to the dignity of the chief minister’s office.
RN Ravi said: "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. Since he rushed to public with his racist remarks and false imputations I am constrained to respond."
Stalin fired back, questioning why the governor failed to condemn the mistake as it happened, especially since it involved a line central to Dravidian pride. "You claim to sing Tamil Thai Valthu with devotion, but why didn’t you condemn the omission of the line about Dravida?" Stalin asked. He further criticised the governor for aligning with “divisive forces” and accused him of turning the Raj Bhavan into a political office that undermines the Dravidian identity.
The chief minister also took issue with Ravi’s defense, pointing out that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promoted Tamil on international platforms, the Centre continues to prioritise Sanskrit over Tamil. Stalin questioned the Modi government’s commitment to Tamil, asking, “If the BJP’s love for Tamil is genuine, why hasn’t Thirukkural been declared a national book?”
DVK Protests
On the other hand, Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) launched protests against Governor Ravi, accusing him of consistently acting against Tamil interests.
Edward Prabhakaran, a protestor, said, "We have assembled here to show our protest against the Governor. He is continuously acting against the interest of Tamil people. He is refusing to speak the words Periyar, Anna, Ambedkar, and Kamarajan. He is painting saffron colour on our Vellalar, who worked all his life against Sanatana Dharma and the caste inequality in our society in a spiritual way... He wants to remove a certain part of the Tamil anthem..."