CHENNAI: The nearly four-and-a-half-year tenure of Governor RN Ravi in Tamil Nadu, which was marked by constant confrontations with the DMK government led by Chief Minister MK Stalin, came to an abrupt end on Thursday.
Delay in granting of assent to Bills passed by the Assembly, including legislation on NEET, dispute over university administration, and controversies surrounding his Assembly addresses and public remarks were some of the major differences.
Just after assuming office as the 26th governor of Tamil Nadu on September 18, 2021, a smiling Ravi told reporters at the Lok Bhavan, “Our slate of relationships (between the governor and the state government) is absolutely new and clean. My effort will be to make it as beautiful as possible in the days to come.” However, Ravi’s relationship with the DMK government soon ran into trouble, and it remained bitter until the end.
The governor’s customary address to the State Assembly has been a problem, except in 2022. Tensions escalated on January 9, 2023, when Ravi skipped portions praising the “Dravidian model” government and certain other portions, prompting Stalin to move a resolution to record only the approved text.
The governor then walked out of the House. Another controversy arose on February 12, 2024, when Ravi declined to read the full address prepared by the state government. On January 20 this year, he also refused to read the state government’s prepared speech, and his office provided a long list of reasons for his refusal.
Several Bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly were kept pending or returned by the Governor, leading to political and legal disputes. The state then moved the Supreme Court to challenge the delay in granting assent to Bills. In April 2025, the SC held that the governor’s decision to withhold assent to 10 Bills was “illegal and arbitrary” and deemed the Bills to be cleared.
In January 2023, when Ravi suggested that Tamilakam would be a more appropriate name for the state than Tamil Nadu, political parties vociferously condemned his suggestion and staged protests against the governor. Due to the delay in clearing the Bills and the oft-repeated controversial remarks, political parties, particularly the DMK and its allies, demanded the recall of Ravi. They even petitioned the President against Ravi at one point.
Significantly, Ravi would be the only governor to use the customary addresses on Independence Day and Republic Day to level allegations against the DMK government. The governor highlighted incidents such as caste-based discrimination, violence against Dalits, temple entry restrictions, and low conviction rates in crimes against Dalits, arguing that these contradicted the state’s claims of social justice. Tensions also continued over disagreements over appointment of vice-chancellors to state universities, which the DMK government said encroached on the state’s powers.
Ravi was also known for organising events every year to celebrate the formation days of each state and bring people from the respective states to Tamil Nadu and interact with them. Additionally, Ravi has shown an extraordinary interest in learning Tamil. Within four years, Ravi delivered a public speech entirely in Tamil.
In November 2025, following Ravi’s suggestion at the 2024 Governors’ Conference, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced that the Raj Bhavan in states and Raj Niwas in Union Territories would be called Lok Bhavan and Lok Niwas, respectively.