After ‘Dravida’ omitted from State Anthem, MK Stalin urges Centre to recall Tamil Nadu Governor

Chief Minister Stalin expressed his disapproval, stating that celebrating Hindi in a non-Hindi-speaking state is perceived as an effort to undermine other languages.

New Delhi: Tensions escalated between the Tamil Nadu government and Governor RN Ravi on Friday when Chief Minister MK Stalin alleged that a line containing the word ‘Dravida’ was omitted during the singing of the Tamil anthem at an event attended by the governor. Stalin called on the Centre to recall the governor, accusing him of disrespecting national unity. In response, Governor Ravi countered, asserting that the chief minister had made a racist remark against him.

Sharing a post on X(previously Twitter), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin wrote,”Governor? Are you an Aryan? Removing the word Dravidian and chanting Tamil Thai greetings is against the law of Tamil Nadu! A person who does not act according to the law and acts according to his will is not fit to hold that office. In the guise of celebrating India, the governor is insulting the unity of the country and the people of different races living in this land! Will the governor who suffers from Dravidian allergy ask them to leave out Dravidian in the national anthem? The Union Government should immediately recall the Governor who is deliberately insulting Tamil Nadu and the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu!.”

ஆளுநரா? ஆரியநரா?

திராவிடம் என்ற சொல்லை நீக்கி, தமிழ்த்தாய் வாழ்த்தைப் பாடுவது தமிழ்நாட்டின் சட்டத்தை மீறுவதாகும்!

சட்டப்படி நடக்காமல், இஷ்டப்படி நடப்பவர் அந்தப் பதவி வகிக்கவே தகுதியற்றவர்.

இந்தியைக் கொண்டாடும் போர்வையில் நாட்டின் ஒருமைப்பாட்டையும் இந்த மண்ணில் வாழும் பல்வேறு… pic.twitter.com/NzS2O7xDTz

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) October 18, 2024

The omission of the line in the anthem further intensified existing tensions surrounding the Centre’s decision to celebrate the conclusion of Hindi month alongside the golden jubilee of Chennai Doordarshan, an event attended by Governor RN Ravi. Chief Minister Stalin expressed his disapproval, stating that celebrating Hindi in a non-Hindi-speaking state is perceived as an effort to undermine other languages.

“A few questions for the Hon’ble Governor, who has responded to my strong criticism for not singing the line ‘Dekkanamum Ittishita Dravidanal Tirunadum’ in the Tamil Thai Rahit sung at the closing ceremony of the Hindi Month celebration: Shouldn’t you, who say ‘I will sing Tamil Thai greetings with full devotion’, immediately condemn Tamil Thai greetings that are not fully sung? Why not do it? The governor explaining that ‘I will sing with pride’ – could have rightly pointed out the mistake on the spot! Could you have taught me to sing properly? Would there have been a reaction if you had done that exact thing? You have said ‘It is unfortunately cheap for a Chief Minister to make racist comments against a Governor with false allegations’,” M K Stalin further said.

இந்தி மாதக் கொண்டாட்ட நிறைவு விழாவில் பாடப்பட்ட தமிழ்த்தாய் வாழ்த்தில், ‘தெக்கணமும் அதிற்சிறந்த திராவிடநல் திருநாடும்’ என்ற வரியைப் பாடாமல் விட்டதற்கு, எனது கடும் கண்டனத்திற்குப் பதிலளித்துள்ள மாண்புமிகு ஆளுநருக்குச் சில கேள்விகள்:

‘தமிழ்த்தாய் வாழ்த்தை முழுமையாக… https://t.co/IaLMWrxBde

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) October 18, 2024

The Tamil anthem, Tamil Thaai Vazhthu, is traditionally sung at the start of every government program, and the term ‘Dravida’ primarily pertains to the racial identity of the people in the southern states. During the anthem’s rendition by the group from Doordarshan, the line containing this word was omitted.

He also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasising that the Indian Constitution does not grant national language status to any language, and Hindi and English are only for official purposes.

He suggests avoiding Hindi language programs in non-Hindi-speaking states. “It has been announced that the closing ceremony of the Hindi Month celebrations and Golden Jubilee celebrations of Chennai Television will be held this evening at Doordarshan Tamil in Chennai, and Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi will be the special guest. This blatant attempt to impose Hindi is strongly condemned. India has 122 languages spoken by a significant number of people and 1599 other languages. There is no justification for celebrating only one language when India is a diverse country. In a country where more than 1700 languages are spoken, especially in a state where the world’s oldest language, Tamil, is spoken only in Hindi, it will affect the country’s diversity. The central government should not be responsible for this,” he wrote.