TN governor Ravi stokes fresh outrage with 'Jai Shri Ram' chant in college

Tamil Nadu governor R.N. Ravi's reported remarks asking students of a college to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' have triggered a fresh controversy with SPCSS-TN, a body of educationists, alleging that he violated his oath of office and secular principles and urging President Droupadi Murmu to remove him from his post.

The State Platform for Common School System-Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN), said Ravi failed to abide by the Constitution, respect its ideals and institutions. "Ravi should be removed from the office of Governor of Tamil Nadu forthwith for deliberately violating Article 159 (oath by governor) of the Constitution of India," SPCSS-TN general-secretary P.B. Prince Gajendra Babu said in a statement.

The governor is already mired in controversy courtesy a recent Supreme Court ruling which found that he had acted unconstitutionally in withholding assent to 10 Bills passed in the state assembly for a prolonged period, and then referring them to the President once the assembly re-enacted them.

Taking Ravi to task, the SC ruled that the Bills would now be deemed to have been passed with or without his assent, leading to calls for the governor's removal from office from several quarters.

In the latest controversy, Ravi was invited by a government-aided college in Madurai as chief guest to distribute prizes to the winners of a literary contest. Delivering his address on Saturday, 12 April, he had asked the students to chant the name of a deity of a particular religion (jai Shri Ram) thrice.

According to the Constitution, India is a secular country, education is a secular activity and it shall be the fundamental duty of every citizen to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the national flag and the national anthem and also to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform, SPCSS-TN said.

However, Ravi failed to preserve, defend and protect the Constitution by chanting the name of the deity of a particular religion and asking the students to repeat the same thrice. The SPCSS-TN has thus appealed to the President to ensure that Ravi is removed from the office of Governor of Tamil Nadu.

With PTI inputs