TN Governor under fire for 'Jai Shri Ram' chants in Madurai college event

Controversy does not seem to leave TN Governor RN Ravi. At a recent event at Thiagarajar Engineering College in Madurai, where he was invited as the chief guest, he allegedly asked students to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ while distributing prizes to the winners in a literary contest.

Controversy does not seem to leave Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi. At a recent event at Thiagarajar Engineering College in Madurai, where he was invited as the chief guest, he allegedly asked students to chant 'Jai Shri Ram', while distributing prizes to the winners in a literary… pic.twitter.com/yvDIM5WylN

— The Siasat Daily (@TheSiasatDaily) April 13, 2025

His action has evoked strong condemnation from the State Platform for Common School System – Tamil Nadu (SPCSS), accusing him of violating his constitutional oath and demanding his immediate removal from the post.

The SPCSS termed the TN Governor’s actions unconstitutional and against the secular nature of the office. In a statement released on Sunday, April 13, it said, “RN Ravi was invited as the Chief Guest in his capacity as the Governor of the State of Tamil Nadu. He was not invited as a preacher of a particular religion. He was not asked to give a religious sermon.”

SPCSS emphasised that educational institutions should be untouched by religion. “Education is a secular activity. Managements of Educational institutions are the agents of the Government, with the responsibility to impart education as per the vision and provisions of the Constitution of India. In classroom activities and official functions the students should not be given any religious instructions and no one should instruct students to chant the name of a God of a particular religion,” the statement read.

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SPCSS further accused Governor Ravi of his ignorance of Tamil Nadu’s academic structure and cultural context. “Governor Ravi is illiterate in terms of his knowledge of the curriculum and syllabus followed in Tamil Nadu’s schools and colleges. Due to his ignorance and arrogance, he continues to propagate wrong ideas aimed at disturbing peace and instigating one group against another,” the statement read.

Shedding light on Tamil Nadu’s rich educational curriculum, the statement read, “Kamba Ramayanam, written by the celebrated Tamil poet Kambar, is a key component of the syllabus and is studied as literature, not religious scripture.”

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