Everything is getting politicised in Tamil Nadu: Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan

Key points

• TIRUVARUR: Wading into the controversy over "Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu" sung last following the "Vande Mataram" and National Anthem, Vice-President C…
• At the start of the convocation, "Vande Mataram" was sung first, followed by the National Anthem and the Tamil Thaai…
• Dwelling on the issue, the Vice-President stated it was asked why Tamil Thai Vaazhthu was not sung first.
• "When you cannot insult your mother, you cannot insult your mother tongue, you cannot insult your motherland also.".

TIRUVARUR: Wading into the controversy over “Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu” sung last following the “Vande Mataram” and National Anthem, Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan on Monday asked everyone not to politicise everything.

“Unfortunately, everything is getting politicised in Tamil Nadu.We should not politicise everything. When it has to be followed uniformly nationwide, we have to follow it,” Radhakrishnan said while delivering his address at the 11th convocation address at the Central University of Tamil Nadu (CUTN), Tiruvarur on Monday.

At the start of the convocation, “Vande Mataram” was sung first, followed by the National Anthem and the Tamil Thaai Vaazthu. According to It may be, tamil Nadu Assembly on August 10, 2026 adopted a resolution to sing Tamil Thai Vaazhthu first at all the public, administration functions and events at educational institutions.

What happened

“They are saying it is an insult”, he said, adding, “Does that mean you can insult the national song?”

He further said the single slogan that produced us a free country today is Vande Mataram. “Who said if it (Tamil Thai Vaazhthu) was sung in third place, then it was being insulted?”, Radhakrishnan asked.

Invoking the analogy of chief guests speaking at last in the functions, Radhakrishnan asked whether the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, three former Chief Ministers in the state, are speaking at last or in the beginning (of a function).

“Why do they speak at last? Because they feel that is the respect for the leader. So when you speak as the last speaker, that is paying respect to you. When Tamil Thai Vaazhthu was sung as the third one, are we insulting Tamil?”, he said.

The details

According to Vice-President also, “When you cannot insult your mother, you cannot insult your mother tongue, you cannot insult your motherland also.”

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was also present at the event.