Governor RN Ravi shifted to Bengal after turbulent tenure in Tamil Nadu

The Rashtrapati Bhavan on the evening of March 5 announced a reshuffle of Governors and Lieutenant Governors following the sudden resignation of CV Ananda Bose, the Governor of West Bengal. RN Ravi, the Governor of Tamil Nadu, will replace Bose, while Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the Governor of Kerala, has been given additional charge as the Governor of Tamil Nadu.

RN Ravi’s departure is likely to be seen as a relief by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government, as the state had been engaged in a bitter political feud with him over several issues including delays in granting assent to bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly, particularly the bill seeking exemption from the NEET medical entrance examination. The state government had accused him of sitting on multiple bills for months, prompting them to approach the Supreme Court of India. This incident led to a wide discourse on the role of Governors and if at all they were needed. 

He had also dismissed Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers unilaterally immediately after the Minister was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case. This caused a political uproar, with CM Stalin questioning his powers. Following this hasty decision, he backtracked from it.  

In March 2024, he refused to reinduct K Ponmudy into the Cabinet, though the Supreme Court had suspended his conviction in a corruption case. Following the Supreme Court’s intervention, Ponmudy was reinducted in the Cabinet. 

Ravi also courted controversy in January 2023 when he refused to read portions of the government-prepared address in the Assembly that referred to the “Dravidian model” of governance, social justice, and leaders such as BR Ambedkar and Periyar EV Ramasamy. The incident triggered a major political row after the Assembly passed a resolution to record only the original version of the speech prepared by the government.

Another controversy erupted when Ravi repeatedly referred to Tamil Nadu as “Tamilagam” during public events, drawing criticism from the DMK and its allies, who accused him of attempting to undermine the state’s identity. His comments on religion, education policy, and the role of Governors also frequently drew sharp reactions from the ruling party.

Amid these ongoing confrontations between the Raj Bhavan and the state government, Ravi’s transfer to West Bengal marks a significant shift.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock and “deep concern” over the sudden resignation of Governor Ananda Bose. The sudden change ahead of the Assembly elections has not gone unnoticed. She speculated that Bose could have been pressured to offer his resignation and criticised the Union government for taking decisions unilaterally without consulting the states.

“The reasons behind his resignation are not known to me at this moment. However, given the prevailing circumstances, I would not be surprised if the Governor has been subjected to some pressure from the Union Home Minister to serve certain political interests on the eve of the forthcoming State Assembly elections,” she said.

She added: “The Union Home Minister just informed me that Shri R.N. Ravi is being appointed as Governor of West Bengal. He never consulted me, as per the established convention in this regard.”

The Chief Minister said that such actions undermine the spirit of the Constitution of India and strike at the very foundation of the federal structure. “The Centre must respect the principles of cooperative federalism and refrain from taking unilateral decisions that erode democratic conventions and the dignity of states,” she said.

The reshuffle announced by Rashtrapati Bhavan also includes several other changes. Shiv Pratap Shukla, Governor of Himachal Pradesh, has been appointed as the Governor of Telangana. Jishnu Dev Varma, Governor of Telangana, has been appointed Governor of Maharashtra. Nand Kishore Yadav has been appointed Governor of Nagaland, while Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain has been appointed Governor of Bihar.

In other changes, Kavinder Gupta, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, has been appointed Governor of Himachal Pradesh. Vinai Kumar Saxena, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, has been moved to Ladakh as Lieutenant Governor, while former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been appointed the new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.