A doctoral student’s refusal to accept her degree from Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi at a convocation ceremony in Tirunelveli on Wednesday has sparked a political debate. At the 32nd convocation of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU), Jean Joseph bypassed the Governor on stage and instead received her degree from Vice Chancellor Chandrasekar. Joseph, wife of DMK’s Nagercoil Deputy Secretary M Rajan, said her decision was a protest against what she described as the Governor’s “anti-Tamil and anti-Tamil Nadu” stance.

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Why Joseph refused to accept degree from Guv Ravi?

Video footage shows Governor Ravi smiling and gesturing for Joseph to stand beside him, but she walks past to receive her degree from the Vice Chancellor. Speaking to reporters later, Joseph said, “I did not find any achievements of the Governor for Tamil when I searched on Google. He could have done so much. I thought why I should receive the degree from the governor who is against Tamil and Tamil Nadu. I came to know, after reading the booklet, that our Vice-Chancellor Chandrasekar has also achieved a lot. I thought he would be the right person to receive the degree from. There are no personal reasons behind the refusal. I ask our system if we do not have the right persons, like the Chief Minister and the Minister for Higher Education in Tamil Nadu, to confer the degree,” she said.

“There was a question in my heart about what the Governor has done for Tamil or Tamil Nadu. That is why I did so.” She emphasised her support for the Dravidian model and her admiration for the Vice Chancellor’s contributions to Tamil, adding, “Don’t we have people in Tamil Nadu to give this? The Chief Minister and the Education Minister are there,” she further added.

Political reactions

BJP state president K Annamalai criticised the act, calling it a “deplorable drama staged by DMK members to gain fame” and accused them of politicising educational institutions. He urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to prevent such behaviour in academic settings, warning that it degraded the dignity of these institutions.

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TN Govt vs TN Governor

The incident comes against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government and Governor RN Ravi. The rift has centred on legislative approvals: between November 2020 and April 2023, the state legislature passed 13 bills, but the Governor withheld or returned 10 without explanation. Even after the Assembly re-approved them unchanged, he refused assent and reserved them for the President’s consideration, a move later deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.