After a row over the Tamil Nadu song being played in third place, Tamil Nadu Election Campaign Department general secretary Vetri Kazhagam defended the government, calling it an “inappropriate practice”.
Earlier on Sunday, Tamil Nadu CPI(M) Secretary M Veerapandian issued a letter making an exception for the song ‘Thamizhthai Vaazhthu’ being played in third place, after Vande Mataram and the national anthem, at the swearing-in ceremony of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay.
Reacting to the issue, Tamil Nadu Minister Aadhav Arjuna termed it an “inappropriate practice”. “We do not agree with the Tamil Dua song being played in third place,” he wrote in a post on X. He said that the newly formed government headed by TVK had no different opinion on this long-established practice of playing the state anthem first.
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Arjuna also said that when they pressed the Governor to respond, they were told that the Governor should act in accordance with the new circular issued by the Union government.
In his post, Arjuna noted the historical significance of the song, which “carries historical pride extending back more than a century.”
“This song, in continuation of the ambition of ‘I hope it spreads all over the world…’, has been declared by the Tamil Nadu government as the state anthem.” He added that not only in Tamil Nadu, but in all states, a protest song in the state language should be played at the beginning of the event.
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The CPI Secretary expressed his concerns
Expressing his concerns, the CPI Secretary called on the newly formed TVK government to respond to the matter and urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the song is sung first.
He described this as a “violation of established norms.”
Speaking to ANI, Veerapandian said that it is the responsibility of the governor to impose these restrictions. “Our country is India, and its national anthem is ‘Jana Gana Mana’. We respect it; we really respect it. But Tamil is more precious to us than our lives,” he said.
