Castigated by the Supreme Court for withholding key Bills, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has stirred yet another controversy—this time by allegedly urging students to chant “Jai Shri Ram” at a college event, fuelling a volatile national discourse already simmering with rows over the Waqf Act, language politics and the new education policy.
Attending a prize distribution ceremony at a government-aided college in Madurai on April 12, Ravi reportedly urged students to chant “Jai Shri Ram” thrice during his address. The students complied.
The episode triggered outrage from political leaders and academic circles, with a leading academic body calling for his removal over accusations of religious partisanship and a blatant disregard for constitutional norms.
“Mr RN Ravi violated his oath of office. He failed to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions,” the State Platform for Common School System – Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN) said in a strongly worded statement, calling for his ouster for “deliberately violating Article 159 of the Constitution of India”.
The academic body pointed out that education is a secular activity and students should not be subjected to religious exhortations, especially from a constitutional authority.
“By promoting the name of a God from a particular religion, the Governor has failed in his duty to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution,” PB Prince Gajendra Babu, General Secretary of SPCSS-TN, said in the statement adding that the students complied passively.
Babu also called the Governor “illiterate” in regards to his knowledge about the curriculum followed in Tamil Nadu schools and colleges.
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“Due to his ignorance and arrogance, he continues to propagate wrong ideas that aim to disturb peace and instigate a group of people against another,” Babu alleged.
The latest row comes close on the heels of an unprecedented Supreme Court judgment that found Governor Ravi’s withholding of assent to ten Bills—some pending for over three years—“illegal,” “arbitrary,” and “not in good faith.”
The court, in a rare move, said the Bills in question shall be considered “deemed to be assented to” from the date they were reintroduced in the state Assembly, marking a legislative win for the DMK-led state administration.
The Governor, already under intense political heat, has now drawn further criticism for what critics call “stunts” aimed at escalating tensions between Raj Bhavan and the elected government.
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Senior Congress leader Sasikanth Senthil, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), lambasted the Governor’s conduct: “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.”
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… pic.twitter.com/qSxIL1NQje
— Sasikanth Senthil (@s_kanth) April 13, 2025
“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!” he added.
This is not the first time Governor Ravi has been at loggerheads with the state administration led by the DMK. The ideological friction between the Governor’s perceived pro-central stance and Tamil Nadu’s fiercely federalist political ecosystem has only deepened in recent years.