CHENNAI: Assembly Speaker M Appavu, in a detailed statement delivered in the House on Wednesday, accused Governor RN Ravi of undermining the Assembly. The Speaker also stated that Doordarshan and All India Radio had acted in a manner disrespectful to the Assembly’s protocols.
Appavu explained that Podhigai, the Tamil channel of Doordarshan, had repeatedly declined requests to broadcast Assembly proceedings live in 2022 and 2023, despite formal request letters sent from the Assembly secretariat. Doordarshan cited reasons such as the non-availability of their OB (Outside Broadcast) vans due to other commitments. Consequently, the Assembly took alternative measures through the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) to ensure live broadcasts.
He added that although the Assembly had not extended formal permission to Doordarshan for the telecast due to their lack of cooperation in the past, the network entered the Assembly premises without authorisation on January 6, the day of the governor’s address, installed cameras, and attempted to record proceedings.
He alleged that the governor had facilitated this unauthorised entry, further noting that All India Radio (AIR) had also entered without approval. "It has come to our notice that such recordings are often edited and manipulated to misrepresent the Assembly’s proceedings. This raises serious concerns about the intent behind these actions," he added.
The Governor walked out without delivering his address, citing alleged disrespect to the national anthem. Referring to the governor’s social media post on January 6, accusing the government of “total censorship” of Assembly proceedings, Appavu stated that Doordarshan would have released edited visuals of the proceedings. Since that did not happen, the governor made such remarks on social media to undermine the House. The Assembly strongly condemned this.