Chennai, May 10 (IANS) The Communist Party of India (CPI) criticised the conduct of the swearing-in ceremony of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Sunday, questioning why the state song ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’ was relegated to third place during the event, instead of the first.

In a strongly-worded statement, CPI State Secretary M. Veerapandian said it was against the long-standing convention in Tamil Nadu to allow the rendering of ‘Vande Mataram’ during a government ceremony before giving primacy to the Tamil invocation.

“The Tamil invocation must always be accorded priority in Tamil Nadu government functions. Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam should ensure that what happened during the swearing-in ceremony is not repeated in future,” he said.

Veerapandian maintained that the established practice in the state has been to begin official functions with the ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’, followed by the national anthem at the conclusion of the programme.

According to him, introducing ‘Vande Mataram’ in between disrupted the accepted protocol traditionally followed in Tamil Nadu’s political and administrative events.

Veerapandian further stated that when newly-elected MLAs take oath in the Assembly, the Tamil invocation should be rendered first and the national anthem later, adding that the same practice must continue in all official government programmes.

He also argued that ‘Vande Mataram’, being a song associated with a deity, could not be treated on par with the national anthem.

The CPI leader stressed that Tamil identity and linguistic pride have historically occupied a central place in Tamil Nadu’s political culture and should be respected by every government, irrespective of political affiliation.

The criticism assumes significance as the CPI was among the parties that extended support to Vijay-led Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) after the Assembly election results produced a fractured mandate.

Vijay’s alliance eventually crossed the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member Assembly after receiving backing from the Congress, the CPI, the CPI-M, the VCK, and the IUML, taking the coalition’s strength to 120 MLAs. Vijay was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday morning by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar in the presence of senior political leaders, film personalities and thousands of supporters.

–IANS

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