Tamil Nadu Governor stokes row again, asks students to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'

Governor RN Ravi, who was the chief guest at an event in Madurai, asked students to chant 'Jai Shri Ram.' The Congress has accused him of the language of the RSS and the BJP

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has courted a fresh controversy after he allegedly asked students at an event to chant "Jai Shri Ram." 

 

Governor Ravi was the chief guest at an event held at a private engineering college in Madurai on Saturday. At the end of his address, he asked students to chant 'Jai Shri Ram,' a video of which went viral on social media.

 

In a post on X, senior Congress leader Sasikanth Senthil said, "After being slammed by the Supreme Court and blocked by the State Government, he's now resorting to stunts like making students chant 'Jai Shri Ram' just to irritate the system." 

 

 

"Clearly frustrated, he's sending a message that 'even if the courts rule against me, I will find other ways to push my agenda.' It's a dangerous mix of arrogance and defiance that undermines democratic institutions and the principles of the Constitution," a rough translation of his post in Tamil read.

 

Congress MLA JMH Hassan Maulaana said the Governor's remarks were highly condemnable, accusing him of speaking the language of the RSS and the BJP. 

#WATCH | Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi asks students to chant 'Jai Shree Ram' during a function in a college at Thiruparankundram yesterday.  Congress MLA from Tamil Nadu, JMH Aassan Maulana, says, "He is in one of the highest posts in this country, and he is speaking like a… pic.twitter.com/viPRZl1rq5

— ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2025

 

"The Governor is occupying one of the highest posts in the country but he is speaking like a religious leader... He has become a propaganda master of the RSS and the BJP. See, this is not the way the Governor can act," the Velachery MLA told ANI.

 

"What the TN Governor is doing is highly condemnable, he is acting like an RSS face in Tamil Nadu and spreading its ideology. The position he holds is a constitutional post, so he has to remain neutral," Hassan said.  CPI(M) MP Su Venkatesan also quipped, "The nomination filing for the BJP president ended yesterday in Chennai, so why is he raising slogans in Thiruparankundram today?"

 

Supreme Court slams RN Ravi

 

The Tamil Nadu Governor was in news this week after the Supreme Court called him out for reserving 10 bills for the President's assent despite the state assembly clearing them. Calling his action "illegal" and "arbitrary," the court said the Governor had not acted in "good faith."  (With inputs from agencies)