Tamil Nadu Assembly session likely to be stormy as Governor vs govt standoff continues

CHENNAI — The Tamil Nadu Assembly session is likely to be stormy as the ongoing standoff between Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi and the DMK-led state government over appointments of Vice-Chancellors to the state universities has escalated. 

 

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly session for 2025 will begin on January 6. The House's Business Advisory Committee will decide the duration of the session.

 

This comes after the monsoon session of the Assembly earlier this year was limited to two days, primarily to pass the First Supplementary Estimates Bill.

 

Notably, during the 2024 Assembly session, Governor Ravi refused to deliver the customary inaugural address prepared by the state government, reading only the first paragraph before walking out. The address had included wishes for "happiness, prosperity, and well-being" in the new year and quoted a couplet from the Tirukkural.

 

The Governor, also the Chancellor of state universities, had asked the Tamil Nadu government to recall its December 9 notification constituting a search committee for the Vice Chancellor's post at Annamalai University.

 

On Friday, Governor Ravi also demanded that similar notifications for Anna University, Bharathidasan University, and Periyar University be withdrawn, citing the absence of University Grants Commission (UGC) nominees on the search panels.

 

In a statement, Raj Bhavan warned that any selection made by a search committee formed without a UGC nominee is bound to be quashed by the courts.

 

The Governor, in a letter to the state government, pointed out that the notification for the Annamalai University Vice Chancellor search violated Supreme Court directives by not including a nominee from the UGC.