Chennai: The swearing-in of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and his Cabinet Sunday sparked a political row after the Tamizh Thai Vazhthu, Tamil Nadu’s state song, was played third—behind Vande Mataram and the national anthem—breaking with the state’s custom and drawing criticism from across political parties.
TVK Minister Aadhav Arjuna attributed the sequence to a recent Union Home Ministry directive mandating that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung before the national anthem whenever both are performed at the same event. The directive was issued as the country observes 150th year of the national song. The ceremony was presided over by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who, the party said, was bound by the circular.
“It was conveyed that the Governor, as the responsible authority, must act according to the new circular from the Union government. Accordingly, in an unavoidable situation, the Tamizh Thai Vazhthu was played as the third song. However, in future times, this new practice will not be followed. Instead, as per the earlier practice, the Tamizh Thai Vazhthu song will be played at the beginning of the event, and the national anthem at the end,” Arjuna posted on X.
Calling the new practice inappropriate for Tamil Nadu, Arjuna said the party had pressed the Governor on the matter before the ceremony. He also urged the Union government to extend the same primacy to state songs at official functions across India, describing the demand as the collective sentiment of Tamil Nadu’s people.
The controversy drew criticism from across the ruling coalition. TVK allies—including the CPI, CPI(M) and VCK — condemned the departure from convention. CPI state secretary M. Veerapandian issued a statement Sunday urging the new government to ensure Tamizh Thai Vazhthu is accorded pride of place at all official functions going forward.
Congress MP Jothimani also registered her objection on X. “In Tamil Nadu, the custom is to first play the Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu and conclude with the national anthem in government events. The Tamil Nadu government must ensure this custom is upheld in the future. In Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu must remain the primary one,” she said.
Tamizh Thai Vazhthu was formally declared the state song with a mandate to promote it globally.
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