GUWAHATI: Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has strongly criticised senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader RS Bharathi for making “insulting” remarks directed at the Naga community, referring to them as “dog eaters”.
These derogatory comments were made by Bharathi during a party event where he took a dig at Governor Ravi, accusing him of causing disruption and delaying bills.
Governor Ravi responded to Bharathi’s offensive remarks by posting a statement on the official handle of a micro-blogging website.
“Nagas are brave, honest and dignified people. Thiru R S Bharathi, a senior DMK leader, publicly insulting them as ‘Dog eaters’ is scurrilous and unacceptable. I urge Mr. Bharathi not to hurt a community of which the whole of India is proud,” read the post, with a video clip of Bharathi’s comments.
During the party event, Bharathi attempted to contextualise his derogatory remarks by describing them as “only an example” and urged people not to misconstrue their intent.
Bharathi also alleged that Governor Ravi had been “driven out” of Nagaland by the people of the Northeastern state, who celebrated his departure much like the Deepavali festival. This information was based on a video clip posted on the micro-blogging platform.
Bharathi, a former Rajya Sabha MP, currently holds the position of DMK’s organisation secretary.
Governor Ravi, who assumed office as the Governor of Tamil Nadu in September 2021, previously served as the Governor of Nagaland from 2019 to 2021.
He played a significant role as an interlocutor between the Indian government and the Muivah-led National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) from 2014 to 2021.
The recent conflict between Governor Ravi and the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has been characterised by various administrative disputes and ideological differences.
One such issue was a petrol bomb attack on the Raj Bhavan, which occurred on October 25.
Chief Minister and DMK President MK Stalin expressed his disappointment, stating that it was shameful for Tamil Nadu’s Raj Bhavan to be perceived as a BJP party office, and Governor Ravi’s affiliation with the BJP party was criticised.
