CM Vijay to move resolution making Tamil Thai Vazhthu first at State events

CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will move a government resolution in the Assembly on Monday (August 10) reaffirming that Tamil Thai Vazhthu shall be sung first before programmes held by educational institutions, universities, government offices, public sector undertakings, and other public institutions across the State.

The move comes against the backdrop of a controversy over the protocol for the sequence to render the State song, which was sung after Vande Mataram and the National Anthem at several functions, including even Vijay's swearing-in ceremony in May.

Recently, 21 MPs from Tamil Nadu urged Governor in-charge Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to restore the convention of rendering the State song at the beginning of official functions.

The resolution, listed as government business for Monday, recalls that a Government Order issued in 1970 stipulated that Tamil Thai Vazhthu be sung first at government functions. It was officially accorded the status of the State Song from December 12, 2021, and its rendition was made mandatory before programmes at educational and public institutions.

The proposed resolution also refers to observations made by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in its July 9 letter regarding the singing of the State song.

It states that Tamil Thai Vazhthu represents respect for Tamil language and culture and links its mandated precedence to the linguistic and cultural rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the preservation of Tamil Nadu's cultural identity.

The House will accordingly resolve that the State song shall be mandatorily sung first before programmes at the institutions covered by the resolution.