Chennai: After the tumultuous scenes in the Tamil Nadu Assembly when Governor R.N.Ravi walked out before the National Anthem was recited after skipping portions of the prepared text in hiscustomary New Year address, the 74th Republic Day event brought both of them together on Thursday.The Governor left the Assembly premises when Stalin moved a resolution to retain the prepared text, approved by the Raj Bhavan and circulated to the MLAs, in the Assembly records and not the one addressed by the Governor, in which he had skipped some references to leaders like Ambedkar and the DMK’s Dravidian Model of Governance.
This was for the first time both the Governor and the CM shared a platform after the Assembly impasse on January 9. When the Governor came to unfurl the National Flag for the Republic Day, Stalin received him with a bouquet of flowers and was seen seated next to him. He also welcomed Ravi with a bouquet of plant saplings and introduced senior officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and the Tamil Nadu Police to the Governor.Both of them witnessed the parade and the cultural events as part of the Republic Day on the Marina beach front. Later, in the evening, Stalin, who skipped the Pongal festival celebrations at Raj Bhavan on January 12, attended the ‘At Home’ reception organised by the Governor at Raj Bhavan. Stalin, also the DMK President, was accompanied by his Cabinet colleagues, though the ruling DMK’s allies, the Congress, Left Parties, VCK and the TVK boycotted the event alleging that the Governor was trying to impose theideologies of the BJP and the RSS and for not according sanction to the Bills passed in the State Assembly.
In the ‘At Home’ reception, Stalin was present right through the nearly 90-minute event, during which cultural programmes were held and had tea with the Governor at the Raj Bhavan.
