Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi Vs MK Stalin-led Government: Amid Assembly Address, Anthem Row, The List Of Clashes

Last Updated:January 20, 2026, 11:39 IST

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi vs CM MK Stalin-led government: A look at the long history of run-ins between Ravi and Stalin amid Tuesday's clash over national anthem and address

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and Governor RN Ravi. (PTI File)

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi Vs MK Stalin-led Government: A Look At The History Of Clashes

Tuesday saw another clash between Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and the CM MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government. This time, it was over playing of the national anthem.

Ravi on Tuesday skipped the customary address to the Tamil Nadu assembly in anger after he reiterated that the national anthem should be played along with the state anthem at the start of the assembly session.

Elaborating on the reasons behind the Governor’s walkout from the Assembly, the Tamil Nadu Lok Bhavan issued a statement saying, “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… Anthem is yet again insulted, and the Fundamental Constitutional Duty is disregarded."

This was another incident in the long history of run-ins between Ravi and Stalin. A look at the earlier clashes:

Lok Bhavan renaming on December 1, 2025: During the 2024 Conference of Governors, a committee chaired by Ravi, recommended renaming of all Raj Bhavans to ‘Lok Bhavan’ and Raj Niwases to ‘Lok Niwas’. In the proposal, Ravi had argued the term ‘Raj Bhavan’ carries “a distinct colonial imprint", and replacing it with ‘Lok Bhavan’ (People’s House) would reflect a more democratic, people-centric ethos. The Centre accepted the recommendation, following which the directive was issued on November 25. As the official stationery, letterheads and official designation began reflecting ‘Lok Bhavan or Lok Niwas’ and the WhatsApp group used by the governor’s office to send communications to the media was renamed as Lok Bhavan Tamil Nadu News, the change irked CM MK Stalin, who said that “a change in mindset is needed".

Bills clash between January 2020 and April 2023: The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed around 12 bills dealing with reforms in state universities (appointments of Vice-Chancellors, administrative control, etc.). After these bills were sent to Governor Ravi for assent, many were left pending for long periods without action, or withheld / reserved, the state government claims. The state government accused the Governor of using his discretionary powers to delay / withhold assent. On October 31, 2023, the Tamil Nadu government moved Supreme Court challenging Governor’s inaction, converting the standoff into a full-blown constitutional/legal battle.

On April 8, 2025, in a landmark verdict, a division bench of the SC’s Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan held that Governor Ravi’s withholding of assent to 10 state-legislated bills was “illegal" and “arbitrary". The court also laid down that Governors must act on state-passed bills within a fixed timeline (within a month if returning the bill, or within three months for assent) — effectively curbing the practice of prolonged “sitting on bills". Stalin called the verdict a “historic victory" for Tamil Nadu and for all states — saying it upheld state autonomy and legislative rights.

The state Assembly had then passed a bill in May 2025 to establish a new university in Thanjavur / Kumbakonam (named after a DMK leader / icon), which was sent to the Governor for assent, which was, however, not cleared for 40+ days. The Supreme Court, however, on November 20 held that the Court cannot impose any timelines for decisions of the President and the Governor on granting assent to Bills under the Constitution.

Cabinet appointment in March 2024: Ravi refused to re-induct K. Ponmudy into the Cabinet despite the Supreme Court staying his conviction, a move the Chief Justice of India later described as “defying the Supreme Court".

Speeches in January 2023-2024: Ravi repeatedly skipped portions of the customary Governor’s address prepared by the state, omitting mentions of leaders like “Kalaignar" and the “Dravidian model".

‘Tamil Nadu’ vs ‘Tamizhagam’ row in 2023: In early 2023, Ravi suggested that “Tamizhagam" was a more appropriate name for the state, which the DMK government viewed as an affront to Tamil identity and linguistic pride.

Dismissal of minister in 2023: Ravi briefly “dismissed" arrested Minister V. Senthil Balaji without the Chief Minister’s advice, a decision he was forced to backtrack on later that same day.

News politics Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi Vs MK Stalin-led Government: Amid Assembly Address, Anthem Row, The List Of Clashes

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