‘Governor of Tamizhagam’: Tamil Nadu governor’s Pongal invitations spark new controversy

The recent Pongal invitation sent to VIPs and senior government figures is likely to trigger strong reactions because earlier invitations of a similar nature from his office had referred to him as the ‘Governor of Tamil Nadu’, including the one sent for the Tamil New Year celebrations held in April 2022.

MLAs belonging to the allies of the ruling government raise slogans against Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi before staging a walkout during his address at the first session of the year of Tamil Nadu Assembly, at Fort St George, in Chennai, Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. (PTI Photo)

In contrast to invitations issued by the Raj Bhavan in the past that bore the emblem of the Tamil Nadu government, the emblem in the latest is that of the Union Government.

Madurai MP Su Venkatesan, who shared the invitation on Twitter, said that there were differences between the invitation sent last year and now. The Communist leader further added that the Tamil Nadu emblem is avoided in this year’s invite from Raj Bhavan as it carries the phrase Tamil Nadu.

இதேபோல தமிழ்நாட்டு மக்களின் வரிப்பணத்திலிருந்தும் வாடகை வீட்டிலிருந்தும் ரோசப்பட்டு வெளியேறுவார் என்று எதிர்பார்க்கலாமா? 2/2 pic.twitter.com/StNkjOkzni

— Su Venkatesan MP (@SuVe4Madurai) January 10, 2023

Governor Ravi and his wife Lakshmi Ravi are the hosts of the ‘Pongal Peruvizha (festival)’ that will take place on January 12 at the Chennai Raj Bhavan.

While it has been common to use the word ‘Tamizhagam’ especially when discussing matters pertaining to the state, such as when referring to the chief minister as ‘Tamizhaga Muthalvar’ (Muthalvar means CM), the word has become problematic ever since governor Ravi’s announcement to rename the state was interpreted as a political stance in support of the BJP and against Dravidian politics.

The word ‘Tamizhagam’ was observed taking on a new contentious face and tenor at one of the recent functions that the state health minister Ma Subramanian attended at T Nagar in the city. After referring to the state twice in his speech using the word ‘Tamizhaga…,’ he was seen quickly correcting himself and remarking that “these days, this word itself can create trouble”.