New Delhi: tamil nadu chief minister thalapati VijayDuring the oath-taking ceremony, the national anthem “Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu” came third after the national anthem and national anthem, sparking controversy.This has drawn attention to the fact that government functions in Tamil Nadu begin and end with the playing of the national anthem.
Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal to amend the Prevention of Insult to National Honor Act to treat “Vande Mataram” on par with the national anthem “Jana Gana Mana”.Under the proposed amendments, insults or obstructions related to the national anthem could be subject to the same penalties that currently apply to the anthem, flag and constitution.“Violation of established tradition”The CPI, one of the parties supporting TVK in forming the government, strongly objected to the order of the songs and said ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ must retain primacy in government rituals in the state.Communist Party of India state secretary M Veerapandiyan issued a letter after the oath-taking ceremony, saying the order went against the long-standing practice in Tamil Nadu, where official functions traditionally begin with “Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu” and end with the national anthem.“As per instructions issued by the Indian Parliament, the song ‘Vande Mataram’ was given priority and Tamil was given third place in the program of the swearing-in ceremony organized by the Tamil Nadu government, which is against the established practice. The Tamil Nadu government must explain to the public who is responsible for this lapse. The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam must ensure that Thamizhthai Vaazhthu gets primacy. Mistakes like this must not be allowed to continue to happen. TN Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and the interim Speaker will ensure that ‘Thamizhthai Vaazhthu’ is sung first and the national anthem is played at the end of tomorrow’s Parliament session to swear in members and all government functions and ceremonies. ” Veerapandiyan wrote in the letter.Veerapandiyan further claimed that the issue has historical and ideological implications. He said that during the freedom struggle, it was decided that ‘Vande Mataram’ could not be used as the national anthem as the song was dedicated to a specific deity and had sectarian religious characteristics.“In this case, the decision, allegedly taken on the instructions of the Lok Sabha, to give primary status to ‘Vande Mataram’ while placing Tamil prayers at the third position in the agenda of the oath-taking ceremony organized by the Tamil Nadu government is against the established tradition,” he claimed.TVK Keep distance from yourselfSoon after the controversy broke out, TVK distanced itself, claiming that the party did not agree to the third broadcast of the Tamil prayer song and supported the “convention” followed in Tamil Nadu.Minister Atav Arjuna said, “The Tamil prayer song that begins with ‘Neeraarum kadaludutha’ carries a centuries-old sense of pride. The song is a continuation of the wish ‘May it spread to all parts of the world’ and has been declared as the national anthem by the Tamil Nadu government.” This proud Tamil prayer song was first played at events in Tamil Nadu, including government functions. At the end of the event, the national anthem was played. This is common practice; appropriate practice. ““The new government in Tamil Nadu formed under the leadership of Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam does not see the practice differently. Against this backdrop, at the swearing-in ceremony of the Chief Minister and other ministers held today under the chairmanship of Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Alkal, Vande Mataram was played first, then the national anthem and finally the Tamil prayer song. This new approach does not suit Tamil Nadu. In mother Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu government formed under Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam did not agree to play the Tamil prayer song for the third time,” he added.He further said that in the future, the national anthem will be played at the beginning and at the end of events.“When we pressed the Governor on this matter, it was expressed that it was the Governor’s responsibility to act on the new notification from the federal government. In this inevitable situation, the Tamil prayer song was played as the third song. However, this new approach will not be used in the future. Instead, as was done before, the event will begin with a Tamil prayer song and end with the national anthem! ” he said.Message to the People’s Party?The move is seen as a message to the Bharatiya Janata Party and is in line with India’s home ministry’s directive that the full version of the national anthem must be played at official functions and government functions.While Tamil Nadu complied with the Centre’s rules, it was not followed at the swearing-in ceremony of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday.The event was historic as it was the first time a BJP government was formed in Bengal and was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and others.During the ceremony, Vijay stood beside opposition leaders in the Lok Sabha, who strongly criticized the Centre’s allegations that the Congress had omitted portions of Vande Mataram during the Jawaharlal Nehru period to heighten communal tensions.
