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‘Tamizhagam’ Reference And No State Emblem In Pongal Invite Sent By Tamil Nadu Governor Cause Another Row
Governor R N Ravi and Chief Minister M K Stalin.
The Pongal invitation sent out by Governor R N Ravi has sparked a new controversy in Tamil Nadu.
Ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its allies have criticised the Governor for sending out the letter that did not contain the state emblem.
The letter was also criticised for mentioning the Governor as ‘Tamizhaga Aalunar’ instead of ‘Tamil Nadu Aalunar’, which was the case earlier. (‘Aalunar’ means Governor)
Instead of the state emblem, the emblem of the government of India has been used. According to them, in earlier invitations sent out by the Raj Bhavan, the state emblem was used.
However, the English version of the invitation says "Tamil Nadu Governor".
According to political observers, Ravi might have said so because he felt that ‘Tamil Nadu’ has separatist connotations as ‘nadu’ has often been taken to mean ‘a nation or country'.
His remarks also dwelt on how the nature of politics in the state (which he called ‘regressive’) had led to the feeling of 'Tamils are different'.
‘Tamilakam’ is usually used to mean ‘the Tamil land’, which while not having a separatist connotation, would however refer to areas belonging to neighbouring states and parts of Sri Lanka as well.
Unhappy with the invitation, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP S Venkatesan said, “He (Governor Ravi) has refused to use the state symbol because the name Tamil Nadu is part of it. Likewise, shall we expect that the Governor will vacate his rented accommodation (Raj Bhavan) and leave Tamil Nadu?”
