NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister Thalapathy Vijay‘s swearing-in ceremony triggered a controversy after the state song ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ was relegated to third place after the National Song and National Anthem during the event.This raised eyebrows as government events in Tamil Nadu begin with the rendition of the state song and conclude with the National Anthem.
This comes as the Union Cabinet approved a proposal to amend the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act to place ‘Vande Mataram’ on par with the national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’.Under the proposed amendment, insults or obstruction related to the national song could attract the same penalties currently applicable to the national anthem, the national flag and the Constitution.‘Violation of established tradition’CPI — one of the parties which supported TVK in forming the government — strongly objected to the order in which the songs were played and said the “Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu” must retain the foremost place in government ceremonies in the state.CPI state secretary M Veerapandiyan issued a letter after the swearing-in ceremony and said the order violated long-standing convention in Tamil Nadu, where official functions traditionally begin with the ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ and conclude with the national anthem.“As per instructions issued by the Raj Bhavan, giving precedence to the song ‘Vande Mataram’ and placing Tamil in the third position in the programme schedule of the swearing-in ceremony organised by the Tamil Nadu government amounts to a violation of established convention. The Tamil Nadu government must explain to the public who was responsible for this lapse. Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam must ensure that the Thamizhthai Vaazhthu is accorded primacy. Such an error must not be allowed to continue. TN chief minister C Joseph Vijay and the pro-tem Speaker are to ensure that the Thamizhthai Vaazhthu is sung first and the National Anthem played at the conclusion during tomorrow’s Assembly session, convened for the swearing-in of MLAs, as well as at all government functions and ceremonies,” Veerapandiyan wrote in the letter.Veerapandiyan further alleged that the issue had historical and ideological implications. He said that during the freedom struggle itself, it had been decided that ‘Vande Mataram’ could not serve as the national anthem because the song was dedicated to a specific deity and carried a sectarian religious character.“In this context, the decision, allegedly taken under the directives of Lok Bhavan, to accord the primary position to ‘Vande Mataram’ while placing the Tamil invocation third in the agenda of the swearing-in ceremony organised by the Tamil Nadu government constitutes a violation of established tradition,” he alleged.TVK distances itselfSoon after the controversy erupted, TVK distanced itself, claiming that the party did not agree with the Tamil invocation song being played third and supported the “usual practice” followed in Tamil Nadu.Minister Aadhav Arjuna said, “The Tamil invocation song beginning with ‘Neeraarum kadaludutha…’ carries a century-old legacy of historical pride. This song, as a continuation of the aspiration ‘May it spread across the world…’, was declared the state anthem by the Tamil Nadu government. It is this very proud Tamil invocation song that is played first at events in Tamil Nadu, including government functions. At the end of the event, the national anthem is played. That is the usual practice; the appropriate practice.”“The new government in Tamil Nadu, formed under the leadership of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, has no differing view on this customary practice. In such a context, at today’s swearing-in ceremony for the chief minister and other ministers, held under the chairmanship of Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, first Vande Mataram was played, then the national anthem, and thirdly the Tamil invocation song. This new practice is not fitting for Tamil Nadu. In mother Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu government, formed under the leadership of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, does not agree with the Tamil invocation song being played third,” he added.He further said that the state song would be played at the beginning of events and the national anthem at the end in future.“When we pressed the Governor’s side on this matter, it was conveyed that the Governor has the responsibility to act according to the new circular from the Union government. In that unavoidable situation, the Tamil invocation song was played as the third song. However, in future, this new practice will not be followed. Instead, as per the earlier practice, the Tamil invocation song will be played at the beginning of the event, and the national anthem at the end!” he said.Message for BJP?The move, seen as a message to the BJP, came in line with the Union home ministry’s directive making it compulsory to play the national song’s full version at formal and government events.Although the Centre’s regulations were followed in Tamil Nadu, the same was not followed at the oath-taking ceremony of West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, which took place on Saturday.The event was historic as it was the first time that a BJP government was formed in Bengal, and it was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and others.During the ceremony, Vijay was standing next to the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, who has vehemently criticised the Centre’s charge that Congress, during Jawaharlal Nehru’s time, had omitted portions of Vande Mataram to fuel communal tensions.