Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Regupathy while speaking to the media on Monday said that the Governor of Tamil Nadu was afflicted with what he termed as the "Media Mania disease". Regupathy went on to accuse Governors, including Arif Mohammed Khan of Kerala and Tamilisai Soundarajan of Telangana, of engaging in a covert competition to determine whose name garners the most media attention. Further, Regupathy criticised the three state Governors and alleged that they acted like 'spokespersons of BJP' for their respective states.
In a recent statement, Regupathy, as quoted by ANI, said, “It seems Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi is affected with Media Mania disease. He is functioning in such a way that his name appears in the media on a daily basis."
"Notably, there is a hidden competition between Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan and Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi regarding whose name appears in the media the most. They are criticising the State Governments and getting media attention. Moreover, all 3 forget that they are governors and behave like spokespersons of BJP for their respective states,” he said.
This comes after Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi alleged that villagers of Nagapattinam district who were eligible to become beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana were not able to get the benefit of the scheme due to "administrative apathy" and "corruption".
On Sunday, Ravi visited Keezhvenmani village in Nagapattinam district, where over 40 agricultural labourers were burned alive by a landlord five decades ago in 1968.
"It is tragic that the deserving poor villagers of Nagapattinam district are not able to get the benefit of the PM Awas Yojana due to administrative apathy and alleged corruption. A humongous, high-cost concrete structure in Keezhvenmani village as a memorial to commemorate the massacre of 44 poor labourers in the midst of thatched shacks of the poor all around by a political party that claims to champion the proletariat is not only ironical but a mocking insult to the martyrs and the poor," Governor Ravi posted on X.
During his visit, the Tamil Nadu Governor also called on the only survivor of the 1968 massacre, G Palanivel.
"Visited Keezhvenmani village in Nagapattinam district and met Thiru G. Palanivel, the only survivor of the 1968 massacre. Also visited Nambyar Nagar inhabited by fishermen, and Jeeva Nagar by Scheduled Castes. Shocked to see the abject poverty all along the villages. One wonders how long these unfortunate brothers and sisters have to wait for social and economic justice," he wrote in another post.
Responding to the Governor's allegations, Rural Development Minister I Periyasamy stated that, under the PM Awas Yojana, approvals have been granted for 127 beneficiaries to construct houses. Currently, 75 beneficiaries have completed the construction of tenements, and work is in progress for the remaining 52 in areas falling under the Venmani village panchayat in Nagapattinam district.
In the specified region, 66 huts have been identified as eligible for inclusion in a state housing scheme, with plans to convert them into concrete houses. Notably, the Union government has not given approval to transfer houses, intended for allocation under the Central PM Awas Yojana, from areas with more eligible applicants to those without eligible beneficiaries, as per a report on PTI.
The minister explained that due to such technicalities, the allocation of houses, as per requirements, could not be made to local bodies like the Venmani village panchayat. This clarification comes amid a backdrop where the DMK regime has consistently opposed Governor Ravi on various issues, including policy matters.