DMK To Push Constitutional Amendment To Scrap Governor’s Address: Stalin

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday announced that the DMK will initiate efforts in Parliament to amend the Constitution to do away with the practice of the Governor’s address at the beginning of the legislative year, citing repeated disruptions and constitutional violations by Governors across states.

The announcement came on the first day of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly session, which traditionally begins with the Governor’s address. However, for the third consecutive year, Governor R.N. Ravi walked out of the House without delivering his address, objecting to the session beginning with the Tamil Thaai Vazhthu instead of the National Anthem.

Speaking in the Assembly after the Governor’s exit, Chief Minister Stalin said the Governor had once again violated constitutional norms, legislative rules, and long-standing traditions of the House.

He explained that under Article 176 of the Constitution, the Governor’s address is prepared by the elected State government and must be read in full by the Governor, without personal views, deletions, or alterations.

“There is no constitutional provision that allows the Governor to modify, omit, or refuse to read the address prepared by the government,” Stalin said. He added that although the Constitution does not provide for clarifications, the State government had still responded to a letter sent by the Governor earlier seeking explanations.

Stalin accused the Governor of deliberately violating the Constitution and said the act amounted to disrespecting the dignity of the Assembly, which has a history spanning more than a century.

Referring to former Chief Ministers C.N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi, Stalin said that while they had questioned the relevance of the Governor’s post, they had never failed to respect the office as long as it existed. He said his government had followed the same principle, but the Governor had repeatedly failed to reciprocate.

The Chief Minister further alleged that the Governor was obstructing State administration, making political statements on public platforms, and spreading misinformation, which he said was unacceptable.

Stalin then moved a resolution stating that the Assembly does not accept the Governor’s refusal to read the address and that the English version of the address sent by the government be deemed as read. He also proposed that only the Governor’s address, its Tamil translation read by the Speaker, and the resolution be recorded in the Assembly proceedings. The resolution was passed unanimously.

Continuing his address, Stalin said the repeated refusal by Governors to read the address had become a nationwide issue, not limited to Tamil Nadu.

“When a constitutional practice is repeatedly violated, people naturally question why such a provision should continue,” he said.

He concluded by declaring that the DMK will work with like-minded political parties across India to bring a constitutional amendment in Parliament to remove the Governor’s address at the start of the year.

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