Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi hosted the annual Independence Day reception at Raj Bhavan on Monday.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Speaker of Legislative Assembly M. Appavu, Chief Justice of Madras High Court Munishwar Nath Bhandari, Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu, Ministers, MLAs, senior officials and dignitaries from various walks of life attended the reception.
It may be recalled that Mr. Stalin and other Cabinet Ministers boycotted the last ‘At Home’ reception hosted by the Governor in Raj Bhavan on April 14, 2022, owing to the controversy surrounding the inordinate delay by the Governor in deciding on the Bill to exempt NEET. The reception, which ought to have happened on Republic Day, was postponed to April because of the third wave of COVID-19.
Leaders from a few political parties, including the deposed AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam and his supporters attended the Independence Day reception on Monday. However, prominent leaders from the AIADMK, including former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, did not attend.
Placards were kept across the seating area to indicate spots reserved for different groups of people. A placard that caught the attention of many was the one at the spot reserved for political parties. The placard, while mentioning that the seats were only for “heads” of political parties without specifying any particular party, however, specifically mentioned “BJP Party Persons.” The placard read “Heads of Political Parties/BJP Party Persons/BVB.”
However, top leaders from the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit, including its president K. Annamalai, did not attend the reception.
The event had cultural performance by artists. Mr. Ravi awarded cash prize and felicitated the students who won the essay competition organised as part of the 75th year of Independence celebrations.
