Vijay’s government has made Tamil Thaai Vazhthu the first song at official functions in Tamil Nadu.
The move comes alongside TVK’s support for Tamil Nadu’s two-language policy.
The resolution received support from both the DMK and AIADMK.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has turned what began as a controversy over the order of songs at official functions into a broader assertion of Tamil linguistic and cultural identity.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution moved by Vijay making it mandatory for Tamil Thai Vazhthu, the state song, to be rendered first at programmes organised by educational institutions, universities, government offices, public sector undertakings and other public institutions. Both the DMK and AIADMK supported the resolution.
Moving the resolution, Vijay said, “Our mother tongue is as pure as our mother,” adding that “Tamil is not only a language but also our life and emotions.” The resolution itself said Tamil Thai Vazhthu represents respect for Tamil language and culture and linked its first position at official events to preserving Tamil Nadu’s cultural identity.
The resolution follows other positions taken by TVK on the two-language formula, NEET and state autonomy, all of which were also part of the party’s declared ideology before it came to power.
Why The Vande Mataram Row Matters
The immediate background to the resolution goes back to Vijay’s swearing-in ceremony on May 10.
The programme began with Vande Mataram, followed by the National Anthem, while Tamil Thai Vazhthu was rendered third. The sequence triggered objections from the CPI, DMK and other political organisations because Tamil Nadu’s established practice was to begin official programmes with Tamil Thai Vazhthu.
TVK general secretary Aadhav Arjuna subsequently said the party did not agree with the new sequence. He said the government had been informed that the arrangement was based on a Union government circular, but announced that future functions would return to the earlier practice of opening with Tamil Thai Vazhthu.
The Centre later issued further clarification on the protocol. In a July 9 order, the Union Home Ministry said that where a state song is performed alongside the National Song and National Anthem, the state song should come first, followed by Vande Mataram and then the National Anthem.
The current disagreement, therefore, is not over whether national symbols should be respected. The Centre’s latest protocol itself places a state song before the National Song and National Anthem where all three are performed. Tamil Nadu’s resolution formally establishes Tamil Thai Vazhthu as the mandatory opening item at specified public functions within the state.
What Vijay’s Tamil Thai Vazhthu Resolution Changes
Tamil Nadu issued a government order on November 23, 1970 directing that Tamil Thai Vazhthu be sung at the beginning of official functions. On December 12, 2021, the state government formally accorded it the status of Tamil Nadu’s state song and made its rendition mandatory at government and institutional events.
The song comes from Manonmaniam, an 1891 work by scholar and writer Manonmaniam Sundaranar.
Vijay’s August 10 resolution now specifically reiterates that it must occupy the first position at official programmes. The measure received unanimous support, including from TVK’s principal state-level rivals, the DMK and AIADMK.
Why Language Has Long Been Political In Tamil Nadu
The political significance attached to language in Tamil Nadu goes back much further than the current government.
Anti-Hindi agitations took place in the Madras Presidency in 1937-39, while another major agitation erupted in 1965 amid fears that Hindi would replace English as the principal language for the Union’s official purposes. Thousands of students participated in protests, and the agitation became one of the defining events in the rise of Dravidian politics.
The political consequences were substantial. In the 1967 Tamil Nadu Assembly election, the DMK won 138 seats and formed the government under C N Annadurai, ending Congress rule in the state. Tamil Nadu subsequently adopted a two-language formula based on Tamil and English rather than the Centre’s three-language formula.
At the national level, Parliament’s 1968 Official Language Resolution supported implementation of a three-language formula, including Hindi alongside the regional language and English in non-Hindi-speaking states. Tamil Nadu continued with its two-language approach.
What Does TVK Itself Say About Tamil And State Rights?
TVK’s official ideological document explicitly lists both state autonomy and the two-language policy among its principles.
The party says Tamil should be the mother tongue and English the link language, and supports priority in state government employment for candidates educated through the Tamil medium. On federalism, its stated position is that state autonomy is a right that should be protected.
TVK also identifies Periyar as one of its ideological leaders, alongside K Kamaraj, B R Ambedkar, Velu Nachiyar and Anjalai Ammal. Its declared principles include social justice, equality, secularism, rationalism and state autonomy.
Vijay had also drawn his lines against the BJP and DMK before the 2026 election. At TVK’s first state conference in October 2024, he described the BJP as the party’s “ideological opponent” and the DMK as its “political adversary.”
Where Do Vijay’s Policies Clash With The Centre?
Language is not the only area in which the TVK government has invoked state powers.
School Education Minister A Rajmohan said in May that the Tamil-English two-language system remained TVK’s declared policy and that there was no question of compromising on it while discussions continued over the Centre’s PM SHRI programme and National Education Policy.
In July, TVK also demanded the abolition of NEET and called for education to be shifted from the Concurrent List back to the State List, or placed temporarily under a special concurrent arrangement giving states greater authority.
Vijay reiterated the state’s opposition to centralised entrance examinations in August when he asked the Centre not to introduce a separate entrance test or use NEET scores for veterinary admissions.
