Speaker scissors Jai Hind from guv speech

Chennai: Even as the governor’s printed speech copies skipped Jai Hind, a salutation hailing India, governor R N Ravi on Wednesday ended his maiden address to the assembly with “Vazhga Tamil (Long live Tamil), Jai Hind.” The absence of

Jai Hind

in the printed speech is in line with the DMK government’s political stand.It only got reiterated when speaker M Appavu, reading out the translated version of the governor’s speech, skipped Jai Hind.Former governor Banwarilal Purohit’s customary address to the assembly in June last year ended with “Nandri, Vanakkam,” and the absence of Jai Hind in his speech became a point of debate. Ravi’s text ended with the immortal words of poet

Subramania Bharathi

, “Vazhiya Senthamizh,

Vazhga Natramizhar

,

Vazhiya Bharatha

Mani Thiru Nadu,” hailing Tamil, Tamils and India.Appavu concluded the speech saying, “Nandri, Vanakkam.” The day one of the session also saw

Tamil Thai Vazhthu

, the state song sung in the beginning and national anthem, Jana Gana Mana in the end, by the students of government music college. tnn