DMK vs governor row: Battle of ideologies, a struggle steeped in history

When the debate of Tamizhagam versus Tamil Nadu kicked off, many political experts observed that Tamizhagam is a usage that has existed since the Sangam Age and being used DMK government

In August 2021, as the Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin government completed 100 days in office, Tamilarasu, a magazine brought out by the state’s Department of Information and Public Relations, released a special edition. It was titled Thalai Nimirum Tamizhagam: Nootrandin Thisaiyil Nooru Naatkal, roughly translated as ‘Tamizhagam Holds Head High: A 100-Year Direction In 100 Days’.

When the debate of Tamizhagam versus Tamil Nadu kicked off, this is what many political experts observed, indicating that Tamizhagam is a usage that has existed since the Sangam Age (between 400 BC and 200 AD) and being used by even the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government.

The debate started after Tamil Nadu Governor Ravindra Narayana Ravi said on January 4 that Tamizhagam would be a more appropriate name for Tamil Nadu.

“A different kind of narrative has been created in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu has made it a habit of saying no to anything applicable to the rest of the country. Much has been written - false and fictional. Let truth prevail,” said Ravi, at the Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Raj Bhavan.

Tamil Nadu means ‘nation of Tamils’, while Tamizhagam means the ‘home of the Tamil people’. Nadu means ‘land’ in Tamil and so, could be seen by many to depict an autonomous region in India. Critics believe it aligns with those who push the narrative that Tamil Nadu is not an integral part of India.

DMK and its allies flayed Ravi for his quip on Tamil Nadu experiencing regressive politics for the past 50 years, saying the governor should refrain from acting like the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The face-off between the ruling DMK and the Raj Bhavan in Tamil Nadu hit a new low on January 9, with the government accusing the governor of skipping a few references during his address to the state Assembly, prompting Stalin to move a motion to reject the deviations, while Ravi staged perhaps an unprecedented walkout.

The high drama on the floor of the House soon snowballed into a heated debate online between supporters and critics of the ruling DMK, even as #GetOutRavi trended on Twitter, with many calling for his ouster from the gubernatorial post.

According to media reports, the governor had skipped portions that made references to the Dravidian model, describing Tamil Nadu as a haven of peace, and mention of leaders like Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy, revered as Periyar, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, Kumaraswami Kamaraj, Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai, and Muthuvel Karunanidhi. While the two sides traded barbs, political analysts called it an all-time low in the history of the Tamil Nadu Assembly. 

“The governor’s role is limited in our Constitution. He/she is expected to play a role in governance, not in politics. It is quite surprising to see governors discussing politics. This is a kind of manipulation of the system,” said Maalan V Narayanan, a senior political analyst. However, Narayanan is blaming the DMK for making matters worse through a series of incidents.

This is not the first time a governor’s address has stirred up a hornets’ nest.

In 2021, E R Eswaran, a member of Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi, a DMK ally, highlighted the absence of Jai Hind as a positive symbol in the then governor Banwarilal Purohit’s speech, stating that “Tamil Nadu has regained its stature of holding its head high”.

“I can understand the removal of Vande Mataram, but Jai Hind means victory to India. There should not have been any problem. Similarly, after Stalin took charge in May 2021, Ondriya Arasu (Union government) was coined instead of Madhiya Arasu (central government), raising protests from the BJP and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Ravi had also criticised the usage as “politically overloaded”, calling it “disrespectful” to the central government,” said Eswaran.

The battle between Raj Bhavan and the DMK intensified when it issued invitations for Pongal without the state emblem. The BJP state unit distanced itself from the issue calling the Tamizhagam controversy “one without any productive outcome” and the Pongal emblem issue a “clerical error”.

“The governor has said it would be appropriate to call it Tamizhagam instead of Tamil Nadu. He never insisted on a name change or whatever is being trotted out by the DMK and its allies. The word was coined by Tamil Nadu’s first chief minister Annadurai - he wanted it named Tamizhagam. Tamil Nadu was accepted since people in Delhi felt it would be easier to pronounce. This has been documented by Karunanidhi in his book,” Tamil Nadu BJP Vice-President Narayanan Thirupathy told Business Standard.

DMK mouthpiece Murasoli (‘Drumbeat’) came out all guns blazing. “Governor Ravi says the name Tamil Nadu indicates a sovereign nation. Does the name Rajasthan sound like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, or Turkmenistan to you? Isn’t Maharashtra a secessionist name for its name indicates the land of Marathas? Kerala’s tourism slogan, ‘God’s own country’, may also be a demand for a nation-state status. Isn’t it problematic for you to find a Desam (land) in the Telugu Desam Party?” it asked in its editorial.