Members of Tamil Nadu’s ruling party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, on Tuesday staged protests across all 39 of its district headquarters in the state against Governor RN Ravi’s decision to walk out of the state Assembly, The Times of India reported.

Ravi walked out of the Assembly on Monday without delivering his customary address, which is read out in the House on the first day of the first session of every year.

Ravi’s move was to protest the House’s alleged refusal to sing the national anthem before his speech, immediately after Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu – the state anthem of Tamil Nadu – was played.

The Raj Bhavan claimed that the national anthem is traditionally sung in state legislatures at the beginning and end of the governor’s address. However, only Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu was sung on Monday upon the governor’s arrival.

The Raj Bhavan said that the governor reminded the House of its constitutional duty and appealed to Chief Minister MK Stalin, Leader of the House Duraimurugan and Speaker M Avappu to sing the national anthem, but was “cussedly refused”.

Ravi was in the House for just three minutes. His address was read out by the speaker, reported The Hindu. This marked the second year in a row that the governor left the House without reading his customary address.

In February 2024, Ravi refused to deliver the speech alleging that his request to sing the national anthem at the beginning and end of the address was ignored. In January 2023, Ravi walked out of the House after Stalin disapproved of his digression from the scripted address.

On Tuesday, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s protestors accused Ravi of repeatedly disrespecting the state anthem and meddling with the “rights of the state”.

Some protestors held placards bearing the slogan “#GetOutRavi” while others alleged that a covert alliance between the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Bharatiya Janata Party was trying to protect the governor.

Party MPs Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Dayanidhi Maran and other senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members led the protests in Chennai’s Saidapet, Deccan Herald reported.

“We don’t insult the national anthem,” Kanimozhi was quoted as saying by the Deccan Herald. “It has its own place after the Tamil Thai Vaazthu is sung. I don’t understand why you [Ravi] talk about the national anthem. What is the connection between you [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] and the country’s independence?” she asked.

This is not the first time that a member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has linked Ravi to the Hindutva group.

The Tamil Nadu government argued that the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution allows every state to determine how its legislature functions. The Hindu reported that each state’s Assembly follows its own conventions, pointing out that in Nagaland and Tripura, the national anthem was not played at all for several decades.

However, rules issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs recommend that the national anthem be played “on arrival of the Governor/Lieutenant Governor at formal State functions within his State/Union Territory and on his departure from such functions”.