Chennai, 21 May (H.S.):A political controversy resurfaced in Tamil Nadu on Thursday after the sequence of songs played during the swearing-in ceremony of newly inducted ministers in Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s Cabinet triggered fresh debate over state protocol and Tamil identity.

The issue emerged during the oath-taking ceremony of 23 newly inducted ministers, where Vande Mataram was played before Tamil Thai Vazhthu, the state invocation song. The sequence drew criticism from the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which accused the government of deviating from Tamil Nadu’s established traditions and attempting to introduce what it described as “BJP-style politics” into the state.

The DMK IT wing questioned the government for moving away from Tamil Nadu’s long-followed convention of beginning official state events with Tamil Thai Vazhthu and concluding them with the national anthem.

The party said assurances had earlier been given that the previous protocol would be maintained and accused the government of failing to honour that commitment.

DMK spokesperson T.K.S. Elangovan alleged that the state government lacked control over the issue and was functioning under pressure from Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.

Senior DMK leader R.S. Bharathi also criticised the development, linking it to Tamil Nadu’s long political history of resisting perceived cultural and linguistic impositions.

The controversy mirrors a similar debate that arose during Vijay’s own swearing-in ceremony on May 10.

Earlier, TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna had described the revised sequence as “inappropriate” and stated that the government intended to restore the earlier practice in future state functions.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman