CPI objects to ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ being played after ‘Vande Mataram’ at Vijay oath ceremony
Chennai (PTI): CPI state secretary M Veerapandian on Sunday said that the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' (invocation) must be accorded the foremost position in the protocol of government ceremonies.
The statement came after the order of songs at the ceremony in which Joseph C Vijay took oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu placed 'Vande Mataram' first, followed by the national anthem, 'Jana Gana Mana', and the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' third.
"During the ceremony, the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' was placed third, while 'Vande Mataram' and the national anthem were given the first and second positions, respectively," he said, adding that government ceremonies in Tamil Nadu traditionally begin with the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' and end with the national anthem.
Veerapandian alleged that it had been established during the freedom struggle itself that 'Vande Mataram' could not serve as the national anthem because the song is dedicated to a specific deity and possesses a sectarian religious character.
"In this context, the decision, allegedly taken under the directives of Lok Bhavan, to accord the primary position to 'Vande Mataram' while placing the Tamil invocation third in the agenda of the swearing-in ceremony organised by the Tamil Nadu government constitutes a violation of established tradition," he alleged.
"The Tamil Nadu government must provide a public explanation identifying those responsible for this error,” he said, adding that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, as a participant in the ceremony, must ensure that the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' is restored to its rightful place and that such an error is not repeated.
Although TVK on its own did not secure the majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, Vijay managed to get support from the Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI (M) and IUML to gather 120 MLAs and cross the 118 majority mark to form the government.
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Karnataka government lifts ban on hijab in classrooms imposed in 2022
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Wednesday withdrew its 2022 order banning wearing hijab in classrooms and has issued a fresh order permitting students to wear a ‘limited traditional and practice-based symbols’.
According to the Deccan Herald, the preceding BJP government had, in February 2022, banned students from wearing hijab to classrooms, giving rise to a controversy as some Muslim girls were prevented from attending classes since their dress was not in accordance with the uniforms of the institutions. The BJP government also insisted that the girls follow the uniform prescribed by the schools or colleges they were studying in.
Further, in March 2022, the High Court upheld the government order, stating that wearing hijab was not an essential practice in Islam. The Supreme Court, however, delivered a split verdict in October the same year.
The present decision of the state government follows strong objections raised by leaders of the Muslim community when the Congress did not give the Davanagere bypoll ticket to a Muslim candidate.
The leaders reminded the party that the hijab issue remained unresolved although it was three years since the party came to power.
