Ravindra Narayana Ravi
15th Governor of Tamil Nadu
Assumed office
18 September 2021
Chief MinisterM. K. Stalin
Preceded byBanwarilal Purohit
18th Governor of Nagaland
In office
1 August 2019 – 17 September 2021
Chief MinisterNeiphiu Rio
Preceded byPadmanabha Acharya
Succeeded byJagdish Mukhi (additional charge)
Governor of Meghalaya
Additional charge
In office
18 December 2019 – 26 January 2020
Chief MinisterConrad Sangma
Preceded byTathagata Roy
Succeeded byTathagata Roy
Deputy National Security Advisor of India
In office
5 October 2018 – 31 July 2019
Interlocutor of India–Naga Peace Talks
In office
September 2014 – March 2022
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byA. K. Mishra
Personal details
Born (1952-04-03) 3 April 1952
Patna, Bihar, India[1]
Residence(s)Raj Bhavan, Tamil Nadu
WebsiteGovernor profile
Source:

Ravindra Narayana Ravi (born 3 April 1952) is an Indian politician and former bureaucrat serving as the current and 15th governor of Tamil Nadu. Ravi served as the 18th governor of Nagaland from 1 August 2019 to 9 September 2021 and as Governor of Meghalaya from 18 December 2019 to 26 January 2020.

His current tenure as the governor of Tamil Nadu has repeatedly been criticized as being dictatorial by M. K. Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.[2] His reluctance to fulfill his gubernatorial duties punctually prompted the assembly of Tamil Nadu to pass a resolution urging the government of India to specify time limits for state governors to give assent to bills.[3]

Early life and education

Ravi was born in Patna, Bihar in a Bhumihar Brahmin family and completed his master's in physics in 1974.[1] After a brief stint in journalism, he joined the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in 1976.[4]

During his tenure in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Ravi led several anti-corruption crusades against organized criminal gangs, including mining mafias. While serving in the Intelligence Bureau, Ravi was largely involved in theatres of insurgency and violence in Jammu and Kashmir, the North East, and Maoist-affected regions. After retiring from government service in 2012, Ravi wrote regular columns in national newspapers.[1]

Political career

Ravi was in 2014 appointed the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee. He was appointed Deputy National Security Advisor of India on 5 October 2018.[5]

He also served as the interlocutor for the talks between NSCN-IM and the Government of India, from 2014 to 2021.[6][7][8]

Governor of Nagaland

Ravi was appointed the Governor of Nagaland on 20 July 2019 by the order of the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind.[9] The Nagaland Peace Accord between Naga's and Indian government was achieved during his stint in August 2015. It's a major breakthrough for achieving peace in the region since the 1997 ceasefire agreement.[10][11]

As interlocutor, Ravi had a fallout with the Isak Muivah-led National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) in 2020 with whom he manoeuvred the signing of the 2015 Framework Agreement after he allegedly misinterpreted the agreement and tried to manipulate it. Subsequently, the NSCN (IM) sought to have him removed as interlocutor.[12] Ravi was also perceived to be targeting the NCSN (IM) group while being soft on its rival Naga National Political Groups comprising seven extremist groups.[13]

After his appointment to Tamil Nadu, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party president Chingwang Konyak said the Nagaland government was not happy with the way Ravi functioned and said he interfered in the affairs of a popular government.[13] Journalists of the Kohima Press Club (KPC), boycotted the state farewell programme for Ravi to show their resentment when he was shifted to Tamil Nadu since Ravi refused to interact with the media despite numerous approaches.[14]

Governor of Tamil Nadu

On 9 September 2021, R. N. Ravi was appointed the Governor of Tamil Nadu by President of India Ram Nath Kovind.[15][16] He took charge as Governor of Tamil Nadu on 18 September 2021. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin greeted Ravi and welcomed him.[17] However, his appointment was questioned by Indian National Congress and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, allies to the ruling party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) claiming that there is an ulterior motive in his appointment.[18][19]

The Supreme Court in April 2022 brought into question Ravi's action to refer Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict A. G. Perarivalan's remission plea to the President, saying such a move strikes at the "very roots" of the country's "federal structure."[20][21]

Ravi had rejected approval for 19 bills passed by the assembly from September 2021 to April 2022 including the anti-NEET bill. Ravi has been criticised by political analysts in Tamil Nadu for interfering in the administration of the government.[22] On May 31, 2022, he had 21 bills passed in the Tamil Nadu assembly pending before him.[23][24]

In January 2023, Ravi suggested that "Tamilagam" would be a more suitable name for Tamil Nadu and mentioned that the ruling political parties have been regressive in the past fifty years.[25][26] While Ravi's remarks were condemned by the DMK, the opposition party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,[27] and political leaders from Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazhagam, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and CPI(M),[28] the state unit of BJP supported Ravi.[29] Students from colleges protested against his remarks in many places all over Tamil Nadu.[30]

On January 9, 2023, during the governor speech in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Ravi omitted words such as women empowerment, secularism, self-respect, compassion and portions on B. R. Ambedkar and Dravidian leaders from the speech submitted by the Government to the Governor's office. It is the convention that the Governor should bound to the prepared speech.[31][32] M.K. Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, moved a resolution requesting that the Speaker to relax rule 17 of the state assembly rules[33] to only record the speech prepared by the state administration and strike out any passages that the governor inserted or omitted. The Assembly passed a resolution that only the Governor's original speech, prepared by the state government and translated by the Speaker, would be documented. RN Ravi then walked off from the Assembly in the middle of Chief minister's speech on the resolution, before the Indian national anthem, which was sung moments later.[34][35][36]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Hon'ble Shri. R. N. Ravi Governor of Tamil Nadu". Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Governor should not think he is a great dictator, says Chief Minister". The Hindu. 7 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Hours After TN Assembly Resolution Criticising Governor, R.N.Ravi Passes Long-Pending Bill". The Wire. 11 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "Alumni Gallery 29RR". Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy. Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  5. ↑ Kalita, Prabin. "Meet your governor: R N Ravi, an officer, and tough gentleman". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  6. ↑ "RN Ravi resigns as Modi govt's interlocutor for Naga peace talks". ThePrint. ThePrint. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  7. ↑ Parashar, Utpal (11 August 2020). "NSCN-IM wants Nagaland Governor removed as interlocutor for peace talks". Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  8. ↑ Sharma, Neeta. "Finally, Centre's Naga Talks Interlocutor Makes Way For Replacement". NDTV. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "RN Ravi Sworn In As Nagaland Governor". NDTV.com. Indo-Asian News Service. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  10. ↑ Singh, Vijaita (15 July 2017). "Meet R.N. Ravi, who is mediating peace with the Nagas". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  11. ↑ "Exclusive | Nagas Will Never Join Indian Union Nor Accept India s Constitution : NSCN (I-M) Chief". thewire.in. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  12. ↑ "Uncertainty regarding Naga peace process prevails as guv RN Ravi shifts to TN". Hindustan Times. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Relief in Nagaland after R.N. Ravi's transfer". The Hindu. 10 September 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  14. ↑ Ambrocia, Medolenuo (14 September 2021). "Nagaland journalists boycott Guv RN Ravi's state farewell ceremony". EastMojo. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  15. ↑ "Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi shifted to Tamil Nadu; Banwarilal Purohit moved to Punjab". The Hindu. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  16. ↑ "Nagaland Governor RN Ravi transferred to Tamil Nadu". Scroll.in. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  17. ↑ "Stalin greets RN Ravi, says TN welcomes him". outlookindia.com. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  18. ↑ "TN political leaders question former IB officer RN Ravi's appointment as Governor". The News Minute. 11 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  19. ↑ "DMK allies oppose R N Ravi's appointment as Tamil Nadu Governor". Deccan Herald. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  20. ↑ "'Dangerous Precedent for Federalism': SC on TN Governor Referring Perarivalan Plea to President".
  21. ↑ "Supreme Court glare on TN Governor move to bypass govt". 29 April 2022.
  22. ↑ "Why SC's observation on governor's role is significant in Tamil Nadu". The Week.
  23. ↑ "Tamil Nadu government seeks right to pick vice-chancellors".
  24. ↑ "There are 21 Bills pending before the TN Governor: What experts think". 3 June 2022.
  25. ↑ Varsha Sriram (9 January 2023). "Tamil Nadu vs 'Tamizhagam': Why Governor RN Ravi's latest remarks have sparked a row with DMK". The Indian Express. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  26. ↑ ""Thamizhagam More Appropriate Than Tamil Nadu": Row Over Governor RN Ravi's Remark". NDTV.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  27. ↑ "Tamizhagam or Tamil Nadu? Lost in translation in Governor-DMK tussle". 8 January 2023.
  28. ↑ "Political leaders disapprove of Governor's 'Tamizhagam' remark". The Hindu. 6 January 2023.
  29. ↑ "Tamil Nadu vs Tamizhagam — Governor Ravi stirs up political storm in DMK-ruled state". 9 January 2023.
  30. ↑ "ஆளுநருக்கு எதிராக போராட்டத்தில் குதித்த கல்லூரி மாணவர்கள்...பதாகைகளில் குறிப்பிட்டிருந்த வார்த்தைகள் என்னென்ன?". 10 January 2023.
  31. ↑ Sekar, Divya. "R.N.Ravi: 'உரையில் தவிர்த்த வார்த்தைகள், கொதித்த திமுகவினர், வெளியேறிய ஆளுநர்'". Tamil Hindustan Times (in Tamil). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  32. ↑ Fathima, Azeefa; Ahmed, Shabbir (9 January 2023). "TN Governor skips portions on Dravidian leaders and Ambedkar in speech, CM objects". The News Minute. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  33. ↑ "TamilNadu: What does rule 17 of the TNLA say?". DT Next. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  34. ↑ "வாசிக்கப்படாத 'வார்த்தைகள்' முதல் ஆர்.என்.ரவி வெளிநடப்பு வரை - ஆளுநர் உரை நிகழ்வின் 'சம்பவங்கள்'". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  35. ↑ "முதல்வர் பேசிக்கொண்டிருக்கும்போதே விறுவிறுவென வெளியேறிய ஆளுநர் ஆர்.என். ரவி". nakkheeran. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  36. ↑ Stalin, J Sam Daniel; Kumar, Akhil. "Tamil Nadu Governor Walks Out Amid Row With MK Stalin Over His Speech". NDTV.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
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