MADURAI: A strong demand has been made to the President of India to remove Tamil Nadu Governor Mr.R.N.Ravi for asking the students of a Government-aided college in Madurai to chant the name of a God of a particular religion when he went to the college as chief guest here yesterday.
The Governor was invited to distribute prizes to the winners of a literary contest connected to great Tamil poet Kambar at Thiagarajar College of Engineering (TCE) in Madurai on April 12th 2025.
“Mr.R.N.Ravi should be removed from the office of Governor for deliberately violating Article 159 of the Constitution of India. By asking the college students to chant the name of God of a particular religion, he failed to abide by the Constitution and he violated the oath of office by making the college students to chant the God’S name and repeat the same thrice in Madurai yesterday,” P.B.Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary, State Platform for Common School System-Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN), has said in a press statement issued from Chennai today morning.
Mr.Prince Gajendra Babu had pointed out in his press statement that the Tamil Nadu Governor Mr.R.N.Ravi was invited by the college in his capacity as State Governor and he was not invited as a preacher of a particular religion and he was not asked to give a religious sermon to the college students in Madurai.
A SECULAR COLLEGE WITH HIGH STANDARDS:
The press release had stated that the particular college where the Governor attended the event is a Government-aided college and this college is functioning out of the grant-in-aid provided by the Government of Tamil Nadu and Government of India.
“I would say that the management of this particular college in Madurai has maintained high standards and upheld the secular values which is the basic feature of Constitution of India. Yesterday, the students were instructed to be obedient and respectful to the Governor during his visit….and in his speech the Governor suddenly asked the students to chant the name of a God of a particular religion. Had the students protested or objected, it would have caused unnecessary embarrassment to the college management and staff,” Mr.P.B.Prince Gajendra Babu has said in the press statement today.
He further added that students should not be given any religious instructions in campuses because education is a secular activity.
“Kambar Kazhagam was presided over by Justice M.M.Ismail till his last breath. Kamba Ramayanam is part of Tamil language subject. Kambar is a celebrated poet in Tamil Nadu. Tamil poets and writers contributed to all religions and students learn them purely as an academic exercise and there is no discrimination against any text or any religion. Yesterday in Madurai, the students in order to protect the name of the college had passively submitted themselves to the will of the Tamil Nadu Governor,” Mr.P.B.Prince Gajendra Babu has said in his press statement on April 13th 2025 and urged the President of India to remove the Governor immediately.
