CPI objects to ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ being played after ‘Vande Mataram’ at Vijay oath ceremony

The statement came after the order of songs at the ceremony in which Joseph C Vijay took oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu placed Vande Mataram first, followed by the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, and the Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu third.

CPI state secretary M Veerapandian on Sunday said that the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' (invocation) must be accorded the foremost position in the protocol of government ceremonies. The statement came after the order of songs at the ceremony in which Joseph C Vijay took oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu placed 'Vande Mataram' first, followed by the national anthem, 'Jana Gana Mana', and the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' third. ''During the ceremony, the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' was placed third, while 'Vande Mataram' and the national anthem were given the first and second positions, respectively,'' he said, adding that government ceremonies in Tamil Nadu traditionally begin with the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' and end with the national anthem. Veerapandian alleged that it had been established during the freedom struggle itself that 'Vande Mataram' could not serve as the national anthem because the song is dedicated to a specific deity and possesses a sectarian religious character. ''In this context, the decision, allegedly taken under the directives of Lok Bhavan, to accord the primary position to 'Vande Mataram' while placing the Tamil invocation third in the agenda of the swearing-in ceremony organised by the Tamil Nadu government constitutes a violation of established tradition,'' he alleged. ''The Tamil Nadu government must provide a public explanation identifying those responsible for this error,'' he said, adding that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, as a participant in the ceremony, must ensure that the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' is restored to its rightful place and that such an error is not repeated. Although TVK on its own did not secure the majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, Vijay managed to get support from the Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI (M) and IUML to gather 120 MLAs and cross the 118 majority mark to form the government.