New Delhi: “Outstanding, non-conformist IPS officer”, a tough negotiator, an “interventionist” for Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and a “BJP state head” at Raj Bhavan – RN Ravi has had many monikers for his long career in Intelligence, some earned praise. Bureau (IB) and the criticism heaped on him for his two-year tenure as Governor in Nagaland between 2019 and 2021 and now as Governor of Tamil Nadu.
From being known as the interlocutor who tried to “split” Naga insurgent groups in Nagaland to becoming the governor wielding the political axe, Ravi is the most talked-about figure in the Raj Bhavan today.
Now Tamil Nadu Governor Ravi created controversy This month, when he suggested that the state should be called ‘Tamjihagam’. While Tamil Nadu originally means ‘land’ in Tamil, now also read as ‘Tamil country’, ‘Tamizhagam’ means ‘abode’ or ‘land’ of the Tamil people and was the name of the ancient Tamil country.
He also left out parts of the speech approved by the MK Stalin-led government for his assembly speech and walked out before the proceedings could conclude. He followed it up with another prompting, send Pongal invitation without state emblem and posing as governor of Tamizhgam. calls for the governor remember gaining strength.
After his retirement from IB in 2012, in an opinion piece published in The Sun hindu, The UPA II government was criticized for its efforts to bring the Naga insurgent group NSCN (IM) to the negotiating table to start the peace process. In an article titled ‘Chasing a chimeric peace’, Ravi also hit out at the then Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, describing his efforts as nothing more than a “drama”.
Ravi wrote, “The recent display of competing eagerness by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and the legislators of Nagaland to support the so-called “peace” being crafted between Delhi and the NSCN (IM) was nothing but drama.” He accused the Rio government of supporting the NSCN (IM), which provoked a fierce reaction by other Naga “militias”, resulting in “bloody clashes”.
“Mr. Rio came to power and his government became a proxy for the government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim (GPRN), of which Mr. Muivah (Naga separatist leader Thuingaleng Muivah) is the self-styled ‘prime minister’. At times it is difficult to decide It used to be who ruled the state – Mr. Rio or Mr. Muivah. Ravi concluded by saying that it was “impossible” to achieve “peace” through talks between the NSCN(IM) and the central government.
It is impossible to expect lasting peace from the ongoing process between Delhi and the NSCN (IM). An effort for peace that excludes important stakeholders is a travesty,” is the last line of Ravi wrote In an article in The Hindu in November 2012.
Two years later, in 2014, he was made an interlocutor in Nagaland by the Modi government and in 2015, Ravi brought Thuingaleng Muivah of the NSCN to the negotiating table. He is widely seen as the architect of framework agreement (FA) was held between the central government and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) in 2015 to finalize the Naga Peace Accord. The signing of the framework agreement was a much publicized event which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In 2018, Rio was re-elected chief minister, but Ravi continued as interlocutor and a year later, the Modi government appointed him as the state’s governor. Rio and Ravi have constant confrontations. A senior leader of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) said that in 2020, RN Ravi had written a letter to CM Rio, alleging that ‘law and order’ had collapsed in the state, leading to the resignation of both the high offices. There is a conflict between. Party – who does not wish to be quoted.
In 2021, reportedly upset over Ravi’s face-off with an elected government and his failure to make any progress in a peace deal, Ravi was ousted from the Chennai Raj Bhavan. Their conflicts with the elected government of Tamil Nadu have only intensified in frequency and scale.
A 1976 batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre, who was mentored by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Ravi was known as a task master and an officer with an “aggressive” approach. However, officials and politicians working directly with him are divided over his nature. NDPP leaders close to Rio said Ravi remained a bureaucrat and was unable to manage “sensitive issues relating to people and politics”.
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the struggle continues
Fifteen months after being appointed governor of Tamil Nadu, Ravi continues to make headlines by fighting a daily battle with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ,DMK-led government in the state.
ThePrint spoke to Ravi’s colleagues, his colleagues and seniors in IPS circles, many of whom described the Tamil Nadu governor as a “pragmatic” officer with an aggressive approach.
- Of. Hormis Tharakan, who retired as RAW chief and was Ravi’s senior in the Kerala cadre, remembered him as a good officer who managed to bring down the rate of political violence in Kannur, Kerala’s most troubled district.
“The Ravi I knew was a brilliant officer who had no political leanings or biases. He was mentored and groomed by our finest, MK Joseph (former DGP of Kerala). Ravi was the additional SP of Kannur and how he actively reduced the violence there was a topic of discussion. Then he rose in the ranks and was promoted as SP there,” he said.
He also pointed out that it was Ravi who had made progress in the Naga talks.
“He is known as the North East specialist in IPS circles. He was doing so well. However, being a negotiator and a governor at the same time can really complicate things. Talking to rebel groups as an interlocutor and executing them as a governor are two different things and it is complicated,” Tharakan said.
‘great power’
While his colleagues lauded him as a police officer, many expressed their reservations about his role as the governor of Nagaland.
“More power corrupts”. Two years after his retirement, he became very close to the Modi government. He was made the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), the nodal agency that advises the prime minister on national and international security issues, and then in 2014 In 2018, he was made the interlocutor for the Naga peace talks. Four years later, in 2018, he was made the Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA) and a year later in 2019, he was appointed the governor of Nagaland,” said a retiree who worked with Ravi the IPS officer said.
The retired official said: “One can see the trajectory, this is too much power vested in one person. The idea of appointing the interlocutor as governor seemed flawed.
A senior minister in the Nagaland cabinet, who did not wish to be named, said the appointment created a conflict of interest.
“The state government in Nagaland is a coalition of the NDA and the local NDPP. BJP always wanted an edge and Ravi was acting like a spoiler. He understands the Naga tribes, factions, internal conflicts and weaknesses of NDPP. He started intervening regularly with the Chief Minister and in the process created disturbances. Opposing Muivah was a bad idea,” said the minister.
NDPP politicians told ThePrint that the former governor interfered in the routine process of administration and governance and ultimately “embarrassed” the Center with his antics.
There were many differences between him during the tenure of the Raj Bhavan and the Chief Minister. He started interfering in the functioning of the government and publicly opposed many decisions of the government. He also alleged that the government has joined hands with the NSCN (IM),” claimed NDPP working president Alemtemshi Jamir.
Failed to implement Naga peace accord
Ravi, who originally hails from Patna, Bihar, served in Kerala during the initial years of his service, as he joined as a Kerala cadre officer. He joined IB as a young officer, worked in several areas including Jammu and Kashmir, North-Eastern states and Naxal-affected areas. He also served as Joint Director of IB and was posted in Guwahati for long periods.
After retirement in 2012, for two years, Ravi did not hold any position in the government, but his contribution to contain insurgency in the Northeast and his contribution to the intelligence unit was well known.
In 2014, after PM Modi took office, Ravi was appointed interlocutor for the Naga peace process and his senior in IB and then interlocutor Ajit Lal was removed. He was also made Deputy NSA in 2018 and was appointed as the Governor of Nagaland in 2019. However, he continued as negotiator. Ravi served as the Naga peace talks interlocutor for seven years before resigning in September 2021.
“He is the first person who managed to bring all the stakeholders to the table and initiated peace talks in 2015, but the peace deal could not be implemented in the next seven years. And it’s a mess now. We as seniors have always known him as an efficient officer,” said Vappala Balachandran, former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, and a national security expert.
His dispute with Thuingaleng Muivah of the NSCN over disagreements regarding clauses of the peace agreement, brought him In the crosshairs of the NSCN. The peace settlement could not be formalized and implemented.
Amitabh Mathur, a 1977 batch IPS officer who retired as Deputy Director of RAW, said, “RN Ravi has always been discussed as an able and efficient officer who started the peace process, and helped many underground Brought Naga organizations to the table for discussion. But after seven to eight years of discussion, the treaty has yet to be implemented.”
While his tenure in Tamil Nadu promises to be equally controversial, The RSS-BJP unit in the state has supported his views.
“We do not see anything wrong in the governor’s statement (on the name of the state). He did not say that it should be implemented now, he only gave his opinion or one can say his suggestion, the state can be called Tamizhagam,” said Tamil Nadu BJP state unit president, Professor P. Kangasabapati said.
Kangasabapati further said: “Even though the BJP or the RSS never talked about it officially, it has been an ancient practice. Tamil Nation or Tamil Nadu is misused by separatist elements and promoted by DMK. The DMK has fueled this controversy for its vested political interest.”
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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