Chennai/IBNS: Tensions between the Tamil Nadu government and governor escalated on Friday after Chief Minister MK Stalin claimed a line with the word 'Dravida' was skipped when the Tamil anthem was sung at an event attended by Governor RN Ravi.

Asking the Centre to recall the governor, Stalin accused him of insulting national unity.

Meanwhile, Ravi hit back claiming that the chief minister had made a racist remark against him.

The skipping of the line added fuel to an already raging fire over the Centre celebrating the culmination of the Hindi month along with the golden jubilee celebrations of Chennai Doordarshan. Governor Ravi attended the event.

Chief Minister Stalin had raised an objection to this and said celebrating Hindi in a non-Hindi-speaking state is seen as an attempt to belittle other languages.

The Tamil Anthem, the Tamil Thaai Vazhthu, is sung at the beginning of every government programme and the word 'Dravida' in it refers to the racial identity of the people in the southern states.

The group from Doordarshan, while singing the anthem, left out the line which has the word in it.

Doordarshan Tamil has apologised for the line being skipped and blamed the mistake on the singers being distracted.

Slamming the governor, Stalin, who is also the president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), said Ravi is "unfit" for his post and asked whether he would call for 'Dravida' being skipped in the national anthem.

Pointing out that skipping the word in the Tamil Anthem violates the state's law, the Tamil Nadu CM accused the governor of insulting national unity and the people of many races in the guise of celebrating Hindi.

"Will the governor who suffers from a Dravidian allergy ask them to leave out 'Dravida' in the national anthem? The Union Government should immediately recall the Governor who is deliberately insulting Tamil Nadu and the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu," Stalin wrote in Tamil in a post on X.

In a strong rejoinder to the chief minister's allegations, Ravi said "making a racist remark" against the governor is "unfortunately cheap".

"Hon'ble Chief Minister Thiru. @mkstalin has issued a regrettable tweet this evening in which he made a racist remark against me and levelled false allegation of showing disrespect to Tamizh Thaai Vaazhthu. He knows it well that I recite full Tamizh Thaai Vaazhthu at every function and do so with reverence, pride and precision," the governor said in a post on X.

Ravi said that the Union government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken several steps for the promotion of Tamil culture and heritage and so has he.

"Making racist remark and alleging incorrect imputations against governor by the chief minister is unfortunately cheap and lowers the dignity of the high constitutional office of the chief minister. Since he rushed to public with his racist remarks and false imputations I am constrained to respond (sic)," he wrote.