Don’t tell us what to call our state: Kanimozhi attacks TN guv

DMK leader and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Sunday attacked the Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi amid the controversy sparked by party leader Shivaji Krishnamoorthy with his remarks against the governor. Speaking to ANI, Kanimozhi said that people cannot hurt the sentiments of Tamilians, especially when they are government’s, and not people’s representatives. Discouraging DMK leader Krishnamoorthy’s remarks on the governor, she said, “We do not encourage his disrespectful remarks, but people, especially government’s representatives, cannot hurt the sentiments of Tamilians by telling us what to call our state.” She also accused the governor of breaking the convention of delivering a speech outside the approved text. “It is a convention that the government gives the speech and the governor reads it at the assembly. Tamil Nadu governor’s recent speech denotes that he is trying to break the convention,” she remarked. This comes after CM Stalin accused the Governor of “delivering a speech that was extempore and deviated from the approved text”. On Wednesday, January 9, the Governor sparked a controversy with his statement that the name ‘Thamizhagam’ would be more appropriate for the state. Governor Ravi’s remark during his customary address at the opening session of the House on Monday, triggered an uproar, especially from the Treasury benches. Legislators of the ruling DMK and its allies, the Congress and the VCK, started raising slogans against the Governor and staged a walkout. Later, Krishnamoorthy sparked a controversy by saying, “If the Governor refuses to utter the name of Ambedkar in his Assembly speech, do I not have the right to assault him?” “If you (Governor) do not read out the speech given by the Tamil Nadu government, then go to Kashmir, and we will send terrorists so that they’ll gun you down,” Krishnamoorthy said. Later on Saturday, DMK temporarily suspended Krishnamoorthy for “party unlawful activities” over his controversial re