TN Governor walks out of Assembly without reading customary address

In the fourth such instance, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Tuesday walked out of the state Assembly without delivering his customary address to the House following an argument with Speaker M Appavu who requested him to stick to the state-prepared text. Chief Minister M K Stalin dubbed Ravi's action as an insult to the House and the people of the state. Beginning in 2023, this was the fourth such consecutive walkout in a row by Ravi, who cited "unsubstantiated claims and misleading statements," for not reading out the policy statement.
The governor's office alleged national anthem was yet again "insulted" and the fundamental Constitutional duty of respecting it was disregarded. Several crucial issues troubling the people were ignored. Lok Bhavan accused the state government of repeatedly switching off the Governor’s microphone and not allowing him to place his objections on record. The statement claimed the address ignored several issues affecting the people of Tamil Nadu and presented an exaggerated picture of governance.Governor Ravi alleged that the National Anthem had been “disrespected once again” and that a fundamental constitutional duty had been disregarded, referring to the sequence of events during the opening of the session. This marks the second consecutive year the Governor has walked out over the same issue after the state anthem was played at the start of proceedings.

Reasons why Governor declined reading the Govt speech in the Assembly:

1- Governor’s Mike was repeatedly switched off and he was not allowed to speak;

2- The speech contains numerous unsubstantiated claims and misleading statements. Several crucial issues troubling the people… pic.twitter.com/EebC7wDJHg

— LOK BHAVAN, TAMIL NADU (@lokbhavan_tn) January 20, 2026

Chief Minister MK Stalin reacted strongly, terming the Governor’s conduct unacceptable and contrary to constitutional conventions. He said the Governor had no authority to alter or reject a speech approved by the elected government. “The Constitution does not permit a Governor to tweak a government-prepared address. Such behaviour is deeply concerning and disheartening,” Stalin told the Assembly. Despite the walkout, Speaker M Appavu informed the House that the Governor had been formally notified of the proceedings. The Chief Minister subsequently moved a resolution to place the Governor’s address on record, which was adopted.