Now, Governor Ravi faults CM Stalin for event at museum to honour Gandhiji

Chennai, Jan 30 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Thursday hit out at Chief Minister M K Stalin for conducting events ‘in a corner of a city museum,’ to honour Mahatma Gandhi’s memory and alleged that the Father of the Nation was opposed and mocked during his life time by the followers of Dravidian ideology.

Governor Ravi and Chief Minister Stalin paid floral tributes here to Gandhi on his 77th death anniversary on the premises of Gandhi Mandapam and Government Museum respectively.

At the state secretariat, Stalin also administered a pledge against untouchability to mark Martyrs’ Day, and state ministers, top officials and elected representatives took part in the event.

In a post on ‘X,’ Ravi said: “Gandhi Mandapam is a grand memorial of the Father of the Nation built over a sprawling land adjacent to the Guindy National Park, Chennai by K Kamaraj in 1956. Does it make any sense to do Gandhi memorial events – his birthday and martyrdom day in a corner of a city museum?”

“My repeated requests to the Chief Minister to accord due respect to the Father of the Nation and hold such events in a befitting manner at the Gandhi Mandapam met with stubborn refusal. During his life time Gandhi Ji was vigorously opposed and mocked by the followers of Dravid ideology. But should he continued to be mocked at even today?”

Gandhi Mandapam is on Sardar Patel Road near Raj Bhavan, Guindy and it is also close to Anna University and IIT-Madras campuses. Government Museum is at Egmore, on the other side of the city, and it is about 5 km from the Fort St George, that houses the secretariat.