On 31 Oct, the governments of Tamil Nadu and Panjab moved the Supreme Court alleging delay by the state governors in giving assent to bills passed by their state assemblies. Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi and his Panjab counterpart Banwarilal Purohit have a running feud with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and AAP governments led by M K Stalin and Bhagwant Mann, respectively. While the pleas from both states appear similar, the causes of tension between the respective Governors and governments are very different. In Tamil Nadu, issues of Tamil pride and so-called lower castes are supreme. Tensions escalated in Jan 2023 when in a speech the Governor omitted the names of caste-politics icons BR Ambedkar and EVR Periyar, and reference to the Dravidian model of governance, which stands in opposition to caste-based hierarchies. The Governor then walked out of the House before the national anthem was played. DMK leaders called out his insult to the nation. On 6 Jan, during an interaction with participants of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, the Governor suggested the government use the term Tamizhagam (‘Home of Tamils’) instead of Tamil Nadu (‘Land of Tamils’) as the state name. Though the difference is minor, it refers to how Tamil people view their state vis à vis the Indian state. Similar sentiments are seen in Panjab. In Panjab, the issue is fiscal mismanagement and the fact that some of the Bills the Governor has stalled reduce his own powers. AAP is basically piggybacking DMK and now claims the Governor is ready to review the Bills. The Panjab Governor has not confirmed the reports.
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