Governor R.N. Ravi on Sunday criticised DMK’s senior functionary and former MP R.S. Bharathi for referring to the people of Nagaland as “those who eat dog meat”, while drawing an analogy.
The Raj Bhavan, in a social media post, quoted Mr. Ravi as saying: “Nagas are brave, honest and dignified people. Thiru R.S. Bharathi publicly insulting them as “dog-eaters” is scurrilous and unacceptable...”
The Raj Bhavan’s X (formerly Twitter) handle also shared a video showing Mr. Bharathi’s reported comments on the functions of Mr. Ravi in Tamil Nadu and during his earlier stint at Nagaland. In a speech, Mr. Bharathi had accused the Governor of stalling the State government’s efforts and not granting assent to Bills adopted in the Legislative Assembly. “Do you know what happened in Nagaland? They chased him [Mr. Ravi] away. The people of Nagaland eat dog meat. If those who eat dog meat can be so sensitive that they chased the Governor away, how sensitive should the Tamils, who eat rice with salt, be?,” Mr. Bharathi was heard saying.
Mr. Ravi had served as the Governor of Nagaland before assuming office as the Tamil Nadu Governor.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, Mr. Bharathi said the Governor’s claim that he had belittled the Nagaland people was a diversionary tactic. The Gauhati High Court had held that eating dog meat was a part of the culture of the people of Nagaland, he added.
