25 Nov. 2025

Tamil Nadu Law Minister S. Raghupathy on Tuesday sharply criticised Governor R. N. Ravi, accusing him of repeatedly portraying the state in a negative light and making “groundless accusations” about Tamil society and the Dravidian ideology.

His response came after the Governor, at a private event on Monday, claimed that the state’s politics was driven by a sense of “Tamil exceptionalism.” Ravi alleged that this mindset encouraged hostility towards other South Indian languages and insisted that Tamil leaders had failed to adequately safeguard Tamil culture and the Tamil language. He further said students were moving away from Tamil-medium schools, accused the state of providing “zero funding” for Tamil-related research, and spoke of more than 11 lakh palm-leaf manuscripts “decaying” in archives. He also revisited the Tamil Thai Vazhthu row of 2024 and defended his Assembly walkout over the national anthem issue earlier this year.

Calling all these remarks misleading, Raghupathy said the Governor seemed determined to “defame Tamil Nadu” and has made it a routine to “insult Tamil and Tamils.”

“He even dismisses Dravidam as a mere imagination. Does he not realise the national anthem itself includes the word Dravidam?” Raghupathy asked.

He brushed aside Ravi’s comments about alleged attacks on Bihari workers in the state, pointing out that officials from Jharkhand and Odisha had personally inspected the situation in Tiruppur and Coimbatore and confirmed the claims were fabricated. The Minister recalled how contradictory narratives were spread during elections in Odisha and Bihar regarding Tamils and migrant workers.

On the Governor’s claims about linguistic minorities being unsafe, Raghupathy said Malayali, Telugu, and Kannada-speaking people have long lived in Tamil Nadu without fear or complaint. He added that the DMK government’s 2023 law allowing students to write exams in their mother tongue was a clear step to support linguistic diversity—something the previous AIADMK administration had refused in 2016.

Responding to Ravi’s remarks on the state’s efforts for fishermen, the Minister questioned whether the Governor had ever issued a single statement in support of fishermen’s issues, suggesting he was detached from ground realities.

He also rejected the Governor’s assertion that Tamil Nadu was “isolated,” citing visits from the chief ministers of Kerala, Punjab, and Telangana, as well as major events attended by the Prime Minister and Defence Minister.

Raghupathy alleged that after a brief period of silence, the Governor had resumed controversial comments, likely because elections are nearing.