Tamil Nadu governor asks students to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’, DMK accuses him of violating secularism

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Saturday asked college students at an event in Madurai to chant “Jai Shri Ram”, after which the state’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam accused him of violating secular values, The Indian Express reported.

A video of him urging students to chant the slogan as a way to honour Tamil poet Kambar, who wrote the Kamba Ramayanam, was widely circulated online on Sunday. In the video, he was heard saying: “This gives us the confidence that our roots are strong. It is there and we need to build on it. We take this as a movement.”

Urging students to pay tribute to the poet Kambar, Ravi said: “You chant after me, Jai Shri Ram.” The students then chanted the slogan with him thrice.

Controversy does not seem to leave Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi. At a recent event at Thiagarajar Engineering College in Madurai, where he was invited as the chief guest, he allegedly asked students to chant 'Jai Shri Ram', while distributing prizes to the winners in a literary… pic.twitter.com/yvDIM5WylN— The Siasat Daily (@TheSiasatDaily) April 13, 2025

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alleged that Ravi was acting as a spokesperson for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, India Today reported.

“This goes against the secular values of the country,” party spokesperson Dharanidharan said. “Why does the...

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