The new government of Tamil Nadu led by Vijay and the Opposition DMK locked horns shortly after the oath ceremony today, over the song played at the programme. With Vande Mataram playing before the national anthem Jana Gana Mana and the Tamil state song ‘Thamizhthai Vaazhthu’, the DMK has claimed that the state should be respected and state song should have been played first. The Tamil anthem was pushed to the third place. Even Vijay’s allies also demanded an explanation, declaring that such a lapse should not happen.
Read: At Vijay’s Oath, Vande Mataram Plays In Full Followed By Jana Gana Mana
The ruling TVK (Tamilaga Vettru Kazhagam) said the music was the Governor’s call since the oath ceremony took place at the Raj Bhavan. But the DMK, which has been championing the cause of the Tamil language against HIndi in the run-up to the election, refused to relent, saying it only shows that the TVK is bent towards the BJP.
The TVK has come to power on a secular plank – a matter Vijay underscored in his address today.
The sequence of the songs at the programme followed the Union Home Ministry’s order in January that in the 150th year of Vande Mataram, that says all six stanzas of tghe song, written by Bengali poet Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, shall be sung first when the national song and the national anthem are to be played together.
“The practice here is to play the Tamil anthem first, the national anthem at the end,” said DMK’s TKS Elangovan.
“This time the Governor wants Vande Mataram to be sung first and then the Tamil anthem… that is not the practice. This shows that Vijay going towards the BJP. We will take this to the people,” he added.
Allies CPM, CPI and the VCK, as well as MDMK have also urged the TVK to stick to the convention of singing the Tamil anthem first.
CPI Secretary M Veerapandiyan expressed concern, saying it “amounts to a violation of established convention” and the Tamil Nadu government “must explain to the public who was responsible for this lapse”.
PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss, in a statement, also called upon the state government to ensure due importance is given to the ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ at all official events and functions.
VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan also condemned the incident.
Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), contesting its maiden Assembly election, emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly. But despite the massive mandate, the TVK faced days of back-and-forth negotiations to make up for the 10-seat shortfall to the majority mark.
Now the government is in place, it will be tested on multiple fronts including its promise of good governance and a string of welfare measures — Rs 2,500 monthly assistance for women, free LPG cylinders, increased health insurance coverage, action against corruption and women’s safety.