Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin accused Governor R N Ravi of insulting the position he holds by not reading out the inaugural speech at the commencement of the assembly session on Saturday.
The CM’s remarks made in the Tamil Nadu assembly came just days after he said that his party would see to amend the constitution to omit the provisions mandating the governor's address to the state legislature at the beginning of the assembly session.
Saying that he was compelled to speak out, the CM replied, "I am facing a crisis that was not witnessed during the tenures of former Chief Ministers C N Annadurai, M Karunanidhi, M G Ramachandran, and J Jayalalithaa. The Governor is insulting the position he holds by not reading the speech at the start of the Assembly session and by insisting on playing the national anthem at the beginning.”
Stalin said that The national anthem was always played at the conclusion of the Governor's speech in the TN assembly, and the Tamil Thai Vazhthu was played at the commencement.
VIDEO | Chennai: Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin says, "By not reading speech prepared by this government elected by crores of people, Governor is disgracing the position he holds."
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 24, 2026
(Source: Third Party)#Chennai pic.twitter.com/2M1kqzuCyE
“We are not inferior to anyone in patriotism, and no one needs to teach us,” Stalin said, adding that political challenges were not new to him. “I have faced numerous challenges in the past and overcome them.”
Governor RN Ravi had earlier declined to read the state government's prepared text in the assembly. The Governor's office, the Lok Bhavan, said that there were “inaccuracies” in the address and the governor had walked out without making the address. This was the third such instance of the governor walking out of the assembly.
