'Play Tamil song before Vande Mataram': Row over national song at TVK chief Vijay's swearing in escalates
- On Sunday, May 10, 2026, C. Joseph Vijay was sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister at Chennai's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, with the ceremony's anthem sequence immediately drawing criticism from coalition allies.
- The ceremony commenced with 'Vande Mataram' followed by 'Jana Gana Mana' and 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu,' aligning with a January 28 Union Home Ministry directive requiring the complete original version by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
- CPI state secretary Veerapandian alleged the decision 'amounts to a violation of established tradition,' while Shanmugam demanded the Tamil invocation be rendered first at all government functions.
- The government depends on the CPI, Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, and Indian Union Muslim League for a majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, making this public friction consequential.
- Veerapandian demanded the government explain who authorized the protocol change and insisted the Tamil invocation must precede the national anthem at future official functions to preserve tradition.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Tamil Nadu Minister Aadhav Arjuna Blames Centre Circular for 'Thamizhthai Vaazhthu' Protocol Shift; Vows Return to Traditional Practice
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. In a post on X, Arjuna recognised the Tamil invocation song as a state anthem, which naturally assumes priority in the state. He clarified that the TVK disagrees with the new practice of the song being played third, and resonates with the "usual practice." India News | Tamil Nadu Minister Aadhav Arjuna Blames Centre Circular for 'Thamizhthai Vaazhthu' Protocol Shift; Vows Return to Traditiona…
Joseph Vijay's TVK Proves To Be DMK On Day 1, Objects To National Song Vande Mataram Being Played First
Barely hours after taking oath in a grand ceremony laced with star power and hype, Chief Minister Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has already revealed its true colours. Far from the “new era” of governance promised to voters tired of Dravidian politics, the fledgling regime has caved in to familiar separatist pressures, rushing to object to the national song Vande Mataram being accorded its due place at the swearing-in. In a clear …
Signal to BJP? Full Vande Mataram recited during Vijay's oath-taking in Tamil Nadu; CPI irked
One of the highlights of Vijay's swearing in was that the event commenced with national song 'Vande Mataram' and not with Tamil Nadu's official song 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu'. The ceremony started with the singing of all six stanzas of 'Vande Mataram', followed by national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana'.
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