Chennai, Mar 15 (PTI) The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday hit out at Governor RN Ravi for his recent remarks on federalism and said that the term 'state autonomy' is not separatist and he need not fear the word federalism as well.

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Citing an anecdote shared by late party patriarch M Karunanidhi, which is about irrational views, the DMK mouthpiece, 'Murasoli' said Governor Ravi's recent opinions too were similar.

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Quoting Ravi's recent remarks, the ruling party's Tamil daily in its editorial said use of "big words of culture, spiritualism and Bharatham", cannot make the Governor's assertion true.

Addressing an event, the Governor had on March 11 said, "those who (seen as aimed at the DMK) talk about federalism and Indian Union should remember that India was not born in 1947 nor it is a contractual union like United States of America."

Also, Ravi had said that the Union of India was organically forged and sustained since some thousands of years by the shared cultural spiritualties of people who lived as one from one end to the other of Bharat irrespective of numerous kings and kingdoms.

Article 1 of the Constitution of India says India shall be a union of states. It says 'India that is Bharat'," the Governor had stressed and asserted that Bharat has been one living entity since ages, praised by the ancient rishis and common people from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Kutch to Kamrup in their every day's rites and rituals.

The Murasoli editorial said India is a collection of various national groups (Desiya Inangal in Tamil), where people speaking 1,652 languages live and such languages have been grouped as 826 major languages. There are several groups, states and, "we have a duty of protecting India by being united. Let us be united amid diversity. How unity can be created? It can be achieved only through the principle of state autonomy and federalism at the Centre (Maanilathil Suyatchi, Mathiyil Kootatchi), the daily said.

State autonomy is not a 'separatist word' and only after accepting federalism at the Centre, autonomy in state is sought. Hence, the Governor need not fear about the word federalism, the DMK organ said.

The DMK daily, which had hit out at the Governor over his remarks on NEET in January has now sought to rebut him over federalism and Constitution's "India that is Bharat...a union of states."

Asking if the entire Indian landscape was under a single rule before the British Raj, the DMK daily said 'no' and there was no proof for it. Sardar Vallabhai Patel unified princely states and to honour him a statue of unity was built in Gujarat by spending about Rs 3,000 crore. "If all were together what is that Sardar Patel achieved? How could Governor Ravi express an opinion that is tantamount to lowering the scale of his achievement?, the DMK demanded to know.

Providing a glimpse of India's history including those related to emperor Ashoka, the Mughals and historian K M Panikkar's views, the DMK mouthpiece said the present day structure of 'Central government' was a creation of the Regulating Act of 1773. Even after independence, there were princely states that claimed that they were independent and today's Indian territory achieved 'completeness' due to the assurances of Patel and former Defence Minister Krishna Menon, action against Hyderabad and special status to Jammu and Kashmir. That is why, the Constitution clearly states that "India, that is Bharath shall be a union of states," the DMK said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)