Following a row over the Tamil Nadu state song being played third, General Secretary of Election Campaign Management of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has come to the defence of the government, calling it an “inappropriate practice”
Earlier on Sunday, Tamil Nadu CPI Secretary M Veerapandiyan issued a letter taking exception to 'Thamizhthai Vaazhthu' being played in the 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 called it an “inappropriate practice.” In a post on X, he wrote: “We do not agree with the Tamil invocation song being played third.” He said that the newly formed government under TVK has no differing opinion on this established practice of playing the state anthem first.
Arjuna also said that when they pressed the Governor for his response, they were told that the Governor must act according to the new circular from the Union government.
In his post, Arjuna recalled the historical significance of the song that “carries a historical pride spanning over a century.”
“This song, as a continuation of the aspiration 'May it spread across the world...', was declared by the Tamil Nadu government as the state anthem.” He added that not just in Tamil Nadu, but in all states, the state language invocation song must be played at the beginning of the event.
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CPI secretary expressed concerns
Expressing his concerns, CPI secretary had called for the newly formed TVK government to respond to the matter and urged the Chief Minister to ensure that the song is sung first.
He called it “a violation of the established norms.”
Speaking to ANI, Veerapandiyan said that it is the responsibility of the Governor to impose these compulsions. “Our country is India, and its national anthem is 'Jana Gana Mana'. We respect it; we truly do. But Tamil is more precious to us than our lives,” he said.