T.N. Governor functioning as BJP’s agent: Villupuram MP

The BJP has been using the Governor to create law and order problems in Tamil Nadu and disrupt the State’s growth, D. Ravikumar alleged

Villupuram Member of Parliament D. Ravikumar on Wednesday charged that Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi was functioning like an “agent” of the BJP government at the Centre.

Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Ravikumar said that the Governor’s conduct of deviating from the government-approved text and exiting the House before the customary singing of the national anthem was deliberate behaviour, which was highly condemnable.

“The principles of Parliamentary democracy have been thrown to the winds by the Governor. The BJP has been using the Governor to cause law and order problems in Tamil Nadu and disrupt the State’s growth, which has been registering an impressive performance in every sector. The Governor’s conduct had caused the revival of Tamil feelings,” he said.

Mr. Ravikumar also expressed his strong reservation over the Centre’s move to introduce the Geoheritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and Maintenance) Bill, 2022 in the current session of Parliament. The Bill is aimed at bringing all geological sites across the country, including the National Fossil Wood Park at Thiruvakkarai in Villupuram district, now under the control of the State government, under the purview of the Centre.

Already, temples in Tamil Nadu maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) were languishing in neglect, and any move to bring the geological sites under the Centre’s control would also meet with the same fate, Mr. Ravikumar said.

Fossils found in Thiruvakkarai provide an accurate record of the prehistoric period and are treasures of geological evolution, he said and urged the Tamil Nadu government to oppose the Bill tooth and nail.