'National anthem insulted': Tamil Nadu governor walks out of assembly
20 Jan 2026

Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi walked out of the state Assembly on Tuesday morning without delivering his customary address. This is the second consecutive year he has done so over the same issue.

The Governor entered the House at 9:29am and left by 9:36am.

Per reports, he had objected to not playing the National Anthem immediately after Tamil Thai Vaazhthu, the state anthem.

Speaker's response to Governor's national anthem objection
Speaker's stance

Speaker M Appavu intervened during the governor's address, asking him not to change House customs and clarifying that the National Anthem is played at the end of proceedings.

Appavu also asserted that only elected MLAs are allowed to express opinions on the floor of the Assembly.

As the conversation exchanged, Ravi stated that it was regrettable that his address was interrupted and claimed that his microphone was turned off.

The governor's customary address was later read out by the speaker.

Governor's office releases statement after assembly walkout
Official statement

The Governor's office has since released a statement explaining his decision to skip the address.

"Governor's mike was repeatedly switched off and he was not allowed to speak. The speech contains numerous unsubstantiated claims and misleading statements. Several crucial issues troubling the people are ignored," the statement said.

After Ravi, AIADMK members also walked out in protest, as they were not allowed to speak on this issue.

Assembly session may honor DMK MLA
Session agenda

During this session, the House may adjourn proceedings to honor DMK MLA K Ponnusamy (Senthamangalam), who passed away in October last year.

This will also be the first Assembly session after former AIADMK legislators K A Sengottaiyan and Paul Manoj Pandian resigned from their parties and joined Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, respectively.