Tamil Nadu Governor walks out of Assembly on Day 1, citing disrespect to National Anthem

Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi walked out of the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday without delivering his customary address, triggering tensions between Raj Bhavan and the House.

This is not the first time the Governor has taken such a step.

As the session began, Speaker M Appavu urged the Governor to read only the customary address approved by the state government. Intervening amid objections from the treasury benches, the Speaker asserted the primacy of legislative procedure, stating, “Only MLAs can express opinions in the House, no one else.”

Governor Ravi responded from the well of the House, calling it “unfortunate” that his speech was interrupted. He expressed displeasure over the conduct of the proceedings and said, “I am disappointed. The National Anthem was not given due respect.” Shortly thereafter, the Governor walked out of the Assembly without completing or formally delivering the address.
The Governor also claimed that his microphone was repeatedly switched off.

Later, Raj Bhavan issued a statement explaining the reasons behind the walkout. The statement alleged that the Governor was not allowed to speak and that his microphone was repeatedly turned off. It further claimed that the prepared address contained “numerous unsubstantiated claims and misleading statements,” and that several issues of concern raised by the Governor were not reflected in the text.