Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu to be played 1st, national anthem last from now, says TVK after swearing-in faux pas

CHENNAI: Hours after various political parties criticised the recital of ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' after ‘Vande Mataram' and national anthem during the swearing in ceremony of chief minister C Joseph Vijay, TVK general secretary Aadhav Arjuna said the earlier practice of playing Tamil invocation song first would be followed in future events.

In a social media post, Aadhav Arjuna said TVK does not agree with ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' being played third. "At the swearing in ceremony presided by governor R V Arlekar, the Tamil invocation song was played after ‘Vande Mataram' and national anthem. This new practice is inappropriate for Tamil Nadu. We do not agree with this,'' he said.



Arjuna said that when TVK sought to know the reason behind this, "it was conveyed that the Governor, as the responsible authority, must act according to the new circular from the Union govt.''

"Accordingly, in an unavoidable situation, the Tamil invocation song was played as the third song. However, in the future, this new practice will not be followed. Instead, as per the earlier practice, the Tamil invocation song will be played at the beginning of the event, and the national anthem at the end," he said.

Earlier, DMK, Dravidar Kazhagam, CPI and Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) opposed ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu' being played third and and urged the new govt to restore the practice followed in Tamil Nadu govt functions.

"The practice followed in Tamil Nadu since Independence was to begin official functions with ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' and conclude with the national anthem. The change in sequence was made following instructions from Lok Bhavan. It is a violation of established state protocol," CPI state secretary M Veerapandian said.