'Vande Mataram' Echoes At Vijay's Oath Ceremony, National Anthem, State Song Followed Soon After

Chennai: During the swearing-in ceremony of  Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Chandrasekar Joseph Vijay as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a significant message was sent to the state and the entire country. This message concerned the controversy surrounding the national anthem.

What is the controversy?

Just few months ago, the Central government had issued new guidelines mandating the singing of the full six-stanza version of Vande Mataram'. At Vijay's swearing-in ceremony, Vande Mataram was played in full before the national anthem.

What about the West Bengal oath ceremony?

Vande Mataram, which was penned by renowned Bengali author Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1882, was not played at the swearing-in ceremony of Suvendu Adhikar in West Bengal on Saturday.

Vande Mataram was not played at the swearing-in ceremony of the Chief Minister of West Bengal on Saturday, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and several other Union ministers at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata. 

What about Tamil Nadu oath ceremony?

Tamil Nadu government functions traditionally begin with the singing of "Tamil Thai Vazhthu," the state anthem of Tamil Nadu. However, Vijay's swearing-in ceremony as Chief Minister began with Vande Mataram instead. Jana Gana Mana was played after Vande Mataram, followed by "Tamil Thai Vazhthu."

What did Centre say?

The MHA directive, issued on January 28, also stated that all six stanzas of the original Vande Mataram should be sung at official functions. This was a change from the previous practice of singing only the first two stanzas adopted by the Constituent Assembly in 1950.