Unconstitutional pursuits: Congress to boycott TN Governor Ravi’s Independence Day tea party

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Congress unit has decided to boycott the Independence Day tea party hosted by Governor RN Ravi, citing his actions as being against the interests of the state and its elected government.

In a X platform post on Tuesday, Tamil Nadu Congress President Selvaperunthagai K announced the decision, stating, "The Governor has invited for a tea party on Independence Day...The activities of Governor RN Ravi have been against the interest of Tamil Nadu and the government elected by the people since the day he took office as the Governor of Tamil Nadu...Therefore, on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Congress, we are ignoring the tea party given by the Governor."

The Congress leader further criticised the Governor's conduct, claiming that the dignity of democracy has been undermined by the increasingly party-political activities of governors under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regime, to an extent not witnessed in the past seven decades.

One of the specific grievances mentioned by Selvaperunthagai was the ongoing impasse in the appointment of vice-chancellors in state universities, which has caused delays in graduation ceremonies for students. He also pointed out that it is unconstitutional for the Governor to remain in office after his tenure has ended.

This move by the Congress comes amidst ongoing tensions between the state government and the Governor, who has been accused by various political parties of overstepping his constitutional role.