Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin and the DMK’s allies have boycotted the ‘At Home’ tea party at Raj Bhavan on 15 August in protest against the Governor’s actions. Governor R.N. Ravi has come down heavily on the DMK government, saying its performance leaves much to be desired.
Observers see the DMK and its allies’ decision to boycott the function as the start of yet another clash between the Constitutional head and the ruling government.
Just a couple of days earlier, a PhD scholar in her 40s, who is also the wife of a local DMK functionary, refused to receive her degree from the State Governor R.N. Ravi at a convocation held at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli, accusing the Governor of acting against the interests of Tamil Nadu.
What the woman did was considered discourteous; the same applies to the state government, which is constantly grumbling against Constitutional authorities, including the Central government, for one reason or another. Such a confrontational attitude will not work in the long run, and CM Stalin should follow the example of other I.N.D.I alliance leaders and CMs.
CM Stalin justified his boycott decision by saying: “The Governor’s actions are against the interests of the people of Tamil Nadu.” He said this in a statement on August 14. Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy said he would boycott the convocation functions of Alagappa University and Thiruvalluvar University on August 18 & 19, opposing what he called the “anti–Tamil Nadu activities” of the Governor, particularly his move to refer the Kalaignar University Bill to the President after a long delay.
On August 13, TNCC president K. Selvaperunthagai said his party’s MLAs would not attend the tea party. Another ally of the DMK, the VCK, along with the Left, also announced their boycott. They said the boycott was to condemn the “anti–Tamil Nadu activities” of the Governor and also in protest against the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) carried out in Bihar, which they cited as another reason for their boycott.
On the eve of Independence Day, Governor Ravi said in his message: “Tamil Nadu is grappling with very serious challenges, including a spike in sexual offences and rising drug abuse. TN youth study in government-run schools and are mostly from poor and marginalised sections. The standards of teaching and learning are sharply declining in these schools.”
Citing the ASER report, Ravi said: “More than 50 per cent of high school students cannot do simple maths or read primary-standard textbooks. Public education in TN is in steady decline. Students are merely passing with certificates but without job opportunities.”
Expressing concern over increasing social and educational discrimination, Governor Ravi said: “Dalits are physically assaulted and at times even killed for attempting to share common public spaces. It is a matter of collective shame that even after 78 years of Independence, rampant and humiliating social discrimination practices are prevalent in our state.”
Governor Ravi's Independence Day message. (1/3)#PressRelease #IndependenceDay #GovernorRavi pic.twitter.com/Xs2w179ei3
— LOK BHAVAN, TAMIL NADU (@lokbhavan_tn) August 14, 2025
The Governor said: “According to the National Crime Records Bureau, about 20,000 suicides are reported from Tamil Nadu every year, more than double the national average. These suicides reflect the prevailing acute social, psychological, or economic distress in society.”
Governor Ravi's Independence Day message. (3/3) pic.twitter.com/8rg2yOsTel
— LOK BHAVAN, TAMIL NADU (@lokbhavan_tn) August 14, 2025
Governor Ravi added: “Drug abuse, especially among youths, is sharply increasing, particularly the use of synthetic drugs. There is also a sharp increase in the incidents of sexual offences. According to official data, there has been more than a 56 per cent increase in POCSO rape cases in 2024.”
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