The stand-off between Governor Banwarilal Purohit and the non-BJP political parties in Tamil Nadu reached a new high on Friday with the Raj Bhavan releasing a statement expressing concern and consternation over the incidents that took place in the last three days including the arrest and release of a magazine editor and the kind of diatribe used against the office of the Governor by the main Opposition party, its allies and a section of the media.
The Governor has referred to the arrest of Nirmala Devi, an assistant professor in a college at Aruppukottai in Southern Tamil Nadu in connection with charges of her enticing some of the girl students to solicit sexual favours for her higher ups. The magazine Nakheeran published a series of news reports claiming to be based on the statements given by Nirmala Devi to police in which she is reported to have disclosed that the girls were being courted for the Governor.
“The need for Raj Bhavan to narrate the truth has indeed shown the limits towards which fear of antisocial and lumpen elements has taken the society to. This is most unfortunate and reminiscent of the days under the British till the Father of the Nation came to the fore to teach the people to resist fear and stand on the path of truth and goodness,” said the Raj Bhavan statement.
It said there was only absolute falsehood and not a shred of truthfulness in the links attributed to the Honourable Governor or the Raj Bhavan in the issue concerning Nirmala Devi. “The statement given by her before the police will itself bear out the truth. This being the case it is a matter of humour to hear people say that press freedom is being threatened on the court, of action being taken under the law after much patience and tolerance to stop a slanderous, vulgar and cowardly way of attacking the first citizen of the State,” the statement said.
The statement which has used power packed words said that the Raj Bhavan had maintained a dignified silence for more than six months ever since the issue came to light as the law was taking its own course. “It was indeed shocking to see a resurfacing of yellow journalism in an issue of the magazine in late September after the charge sheets had been filed and all investigation completed. Those who claim to be involved in investigative journalism have not even bothered to verify the actual statement given by Nirmala Devi before the police. The height of casualness and cowardice in journalistic ethics had been reached with the publishing of this article,” said the statement.
"It can only be a deep sense of hatred towards goodness and truth that could have driven any journalist to have written the articles in the manner they appeared in the Nakkeeran. It is a matter of regret that such utter falsehood and this kind of yellow journalism is being supported by respectable people who, it appears , are not aware of the facts," said the Raj Bhavan statement.
The statement said that In a democracy there can be a healthy exchange of ideas. But no threats direct or indirect on a constitutional authority as the Honourable Governor will be tolerated.
A meeting convened by a Tamil chauvinistic outfit on Thursday had honoured R R Gopal, the publisher of the magazine , proprietor of a pro-CPI(M) English daily and M K Stalin, the DMK chief for unleashing the attacks on the Governor.
