Governor R N Ravi says Tamil Nadu ‘going south’ on all fronts in unusual Republic-Day address

CHENNAI: Governor R N Ravi has levelled various charges against the state government in his customary Republic Day address. Sources said perhaps it is the first time in history that a governor in the country is making accusations against the government in the R-Day address.

In his address, the governor said key indicators of the state are worrying and that Tamil Nadu is on a ‘declining curve’. He alleged the autonomy of the universities in state has “eroded to such an extent that it is not the university syndicates but the state secretariat that runs the varsities”.

Citing the absence of vice chancellors in many universities, Ravi said the status of the curriculum and syllabus of the varsities, which should be under the purview of university academic councils, are now being dictated by the State Government Council for Higher Education.