Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, urging him to allow the state government to start official functions with the Tamil invocation song, and raising concerns over Karnataka’s stand on the inter-state Mekedatu dam and the arrests of local fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy.
It was Vijay’s first meeting with Modi after his party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), won the state polls earlier this month.
Among the primary demands Vijay placed before Modi was that the Tamil invocation song, also called the state anthem, ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu,’ be played first at government functions.
“The Chief Minister noted that the state anthem, ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu,’ has always been sung at the very beginning of all government functions held in Tamil Nadu. However, following a memorandum issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs in January this year, the National Song is being sung first in certain specific government events,” a state government statement on the meeting said.
“In light of this situation, the Chief Minister requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue appropriate clarifications regarding the singing of the state anthem at the commencement of government functions,” the statement added.
The singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ ahead of the Tamil invocation song recently sparked a debate in the state over cultural identity and the protocol to be followed at government functions.
Political parties including Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Left criticised the rendering of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ during Vijay’s swearing-in ceremony by governor Rajendra Arlekar earlier this month.
On the Mekedatu dam issue, Vijay raised Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivkumar’s recent comment that his state was planning to lay the foundation stone for the dam on Cauvery river. Vijay said the Karnataka government’s decision to do so was “completely contradictory” to the final verdict of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the Supreme Court’s judgment.
Vijay requested Modi to instruct the jal shakti ministry and the Central Water Commission not to permit the commencement of the project without the consent of the co-basin states — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry.
Vijay highlighted the arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, telling Modi that as of May, 58 Indian fishermen and 266 boats were in custody of the Island nation.
“The chief minister urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the government of India presses the Sri Lankan government for the immediate release of the fishermen and their boats,” the statement said.
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