Tamil Nadu Governor delivers full Assembly address after three years

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar's address to the Assembly on Thursday made news not because of what he said, but because it marked the first full Governor's address at the start of an Assembly session in three years.

Addressing the first session of the year, Arlekar delivered the government-approved speech in full in the presence of members from both the treasury and Opposition benches, signalling a return to normal constitutional practice after years of friction between the Raj Bhavan and the DMK government.

Proceedings began with the rendition of 'Thamizh Thai Vaazhthu', followed by the national anthem, and concluded in the same manner. Arlekar welcomed the playing of the national anthem in the Assembly, describing it as a positive development.


Notably, 'Vande Mataram' was not played, but unlike during his visit to the Kerala Assembly on May 29-where he expressed displeasure over only a truncated version being rendered-Arlekar chose not to raise the issue in Tamil Nadu.

The contrast with his predecessor, R N Ravi, was striking. Ravi's tenure was marked by repeated confrontations with the DMK government, with several disputes reaching the Supreme Court.