Chennai: DMK, allies to boycott Governor Ravi’s Independence Day reception
Chennai: The clash between the Tamil Nadu government and Governor RN Ravi has intensified with Chief Minister MK Stalin and the DMK allies deciding to boycott the conventional Independence Day reception at the Governor’s resident on Friday evening in protest against the ‘anti-Tamil Nadu acts’ of the Governor.
Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy is expected to skip two university convocations to lay stress on the protest by the DMK, reports NDTV.
The DMK has raised strong objection to the Governor’s decision to refer to President Droupadi Murmu a bill passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly to establish Kalaignar University in honour of the late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, with the party calling this a deliberate attempt to delay assent and undermine the legislative authority of the state.
The protest also comes in the backdrop of repeated clashes between the Tamil Nadu government and Governor Ravi with regarding to keeping bills passed by the Assembly pending for approval, leading the Supreme Court to step in and declare that several bills appeared to have been assented to. The apex court had also set a timeline of a maximum of three months for disposal of bills by the governor. In addition, the court ruled that neither governors nor the President had any discretionary powers.
The latest point of tussle, however, is the Independence Day address by Ravi, where he greatly praised the achievements of the Prime Minister and the Central government while barely mentioning the contributions of either the Tamil Nadu government or Stalin.
At the end of his speech, he referred to serious challenges in the state, including alleged educational and social discrimination against the poor, suicide rates double the national average, sharp rises in synthetic drug abuse among youth with "alleged patronage of the power-that-be," and a steep increase in sexual offences against women and children.
Tamil Nadu Local Administration Minister KN Nehru has accused the Governor of acting as an ‘agent of Nagpur’ and spreading baseless allegations without contributing anything to the Tamil language or the state’s welfare. Pointing out that a PhD student had refused to accept her degree from the Governor in protest just a day before, the minister opined Ravi’s statement to be a reaction due to frustration at being boycotted by DMK allies at the reception.
Nehru added that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah too would laugh at the Governor’s statement and stated that the Tamil Nadu citizens did not respect him as Governor since he functioned like a political adversary rather than as constitutional head.
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PM unveils development projects worth over Rs 4,000 crore in Sikkim
Gangtok (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched development projects worth over Rs 4,000 crore in Sikkim while attending the closing ceremony of the state's 50 years of statehood celebrations.
The projects span a wide range of sectors such as infrastructure, connectivity, healthcare, education, power, urban development, environment, tourism and agriculture, the officials said.
These projects are aimed at accelerating holistic and inclusive development in Sikkim.
The PM's visit marks an important milestone in the golden jubilee year of Sikkim's statehood and reflects the government's "continued commitment to the rapid and sustainable development of the Himalayan state", the officials said.
