The CPI might have agreed to back C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form a government; however, it didn't stop the Communist party’s State Secretary, M. Veerapandian, from pointing out that the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' should have been accorded the foremost position during the government ceremony.
The statement targeted the order of songs at the oath-taking ceremony of Vijay and his party colleagues. ‘Vande Mataram' was played first, followed by the national anthem, 'Jana Gana Mana', and the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' came third. ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ is the official state song of Tamil Nadu
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Government ceremonies in Tamil Nadu traditionally begin with the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' and end with the national anthem, Veerapandian reportedly pointed out. He alleged that it had been established during the freedom struggle itself that 'Vande Mataram' could not serve as the national anthem because the song is dedicated to a specific deity and possesses a sectarian religious character.
"In this context, the decision, allegedly taken under the directives of Raj 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 was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"The Tamil Nadu government must provide a public explanation identifying those responsible for this error," he said, adding that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, as a participant in the ceremony, must ensure that the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' is restored to its rightful place and that such an error is not repeated.
Although the TVK on its own did not secure a majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, Vijay managed to get support from the Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI (M), and IUML to gather 120 MLAs and cross the 118 majority mark to form the government.
'Vande Mataram' was sung in full at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday. The move follows an order from the Union Home Ministry on January 28 this year, stating that all six stanzas of the song—composed and written by Bengali poet Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1882—must be sung before the national anthem when they are played together.
It is noteworthy that Vijay's predecessor, M. K. Stalin, had clashed with the Union Government over the practice of singing 'Vande Mataram'. Netizens had a field day creating memes on the occasion.