CHENNAI: PMK president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss and Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) president K Veeramani on Saturday objected to the decision to render the Tamil Thai Vazhthu only after Vande Mataram and the National Anthem during the upcoming convocation of the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University — named after the late poet who penned the state song. Governor R V Arlekar is expected to take part in the 33rd convocation of the university, scheduled for July 28 in Tirunelveli.
In separate statements, the leaders demanded that the state song be rendered first and criticised the university’s decision, which they claimed was made based on instructions from the Lok Bhavan. Anbumani said the centre issued revised guidelines on July 9 stating that whenever a state song is included in an official function, it should be sung first, followed by Vande Mataram and the National Anthem. Asking the university to sing Vande Mataram first goes against the guidelines, he said.
Veeramani questioned Lok Bhavan’s authority to alter the order in which the songs are rendered, citing the centre’s clarification. He called it “an insult to both the late poet and TN’s cultural identity”, and urged the state government to intervene in the matter.