Chennai: A day after he faced black flag protests, Tamilnadu Governor R N Ravi left for New Delhi today, where he is slated to have a series of meetings with top leaders.
According to sources, Ravi would meet President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah among others to discuss in detail the situation in Tamilnadu.
On Tuesday, protestors waved black flags at the Governor while he was on a visit to Mayiladuthurai. Also, pipes and stones were allegedly pelted at police vehicles.
Governor’s Aide-de-camp Vishwesh B Shastri, who is an IPS officer, said that a complaint had been written to the Director General of Police after the protest against the Governor in Mayiladuthurai.
In his complaint, Shastri has said that the aggressive crowd had staged its protest with the intention of overawing the Governor regarding discharging of his responsibilities.
He also said that the crowd’s behaviour called for action against the aggressive crowd under section 124 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, besides other relevant sections of law.
The protests were part of the larger criticism being faced by Ravi for delaying and stopping some important legislations passed by the State Assembly, including the one against NEET. The police issued a statement detailing the steps being taken by the department to ensure his smooth passage despite protests.
The AIADMK and the BJP have condemned the incident. BJP State president K Annamalai said, ‘the incident was not only an attack on the Governor by some DMK cadres, but one that was instigated by the repeated statements made by the leaders of the party. CM Stalin should apologise or step down.’
More than 100 protestors from Dravidar Kazhagam, VCK, CPI, CPM, and minority outfits Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) and SDPI, had organised protests and raised slogans like ‘Go Back Governor’.
The ruling DMK-piloted Assembly bill seeking exemption for Tamilnadu from the ambit of the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) has become a bone of contention between the government and the Raj Bhavan, with Ravi returning the original bill adopted by the House in September last year in February 2022, with the House once again resolving on the matter days after.