CHENNAI: A chorus singing ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’ at an event Friday celebrating the Hindi month at Doordarshan Kendra, Chennai, with governor RN Ravi as the chief guest omitted the word “Dravida” from the lyrics —and all hell broke loose.
Virtually every party barring BJP joined the roar of protest, directed more at the governor than at the organisers of the Hindi month valedictory that coincided with the golden jubilee celebrations of DD Tamil. Stalinurged the Union govt to immediately recall the governor who, he wondered, was “a governor or an Aryan?” Ravi retorted, accu sing the CM of making a racist attack on him.
In Dec 2021, the DMK govt declared ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’, penned by Manonmaniam Sundaranar, as the state song and issued an order making it compulsory for everyone to stand when the song is sung at govt events. The Madras high court had said that ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ is a prayer song, and not an anthem.
In a post on X, the CM said singing the Tamil salutation song omitting the word “Dravida” is against the law of Tamil Nadu.
Guv suffers from ‘Dravidian allergy’: Stalin
A person who does not act according to law, and acts as per his will, is unfit to hold the governor’s office, Stalin said.
“In the guise of celebrating Hindi, the governor is insulting the unity and the people of different races living in this land… Will the governor, who suffers from ‘Dravidian allergy’ ask to leave out ‘Dravidian’ from the national anthem?” the CM posted. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said the omission undermined Tamil sentiments. Top echelons of Congress, PMK, MDMK, AMMK and MNM joined the chorus of protest while Union minister L Murugan sought to defend the governor, saying, “Everyone knows that the governor recites ‘Tamil Thai Vaazthu’ with pride and precision at every function.”
Taking to X, the governor said the CM had made a racist remark against him and levelled false allegations of showing disrespect to ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’. “He knows it well that I recite full ‘Tamizh Thaai Vaazhthu’ at every function and do so with reverence, pride and precision.”