Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tamil Nadu Chief Spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy on Saturday, 29 August said there is no objection to singing the Tamil Nadu state song Tamil Thai Vazhthu before the national anthem and the national song, asserting that the order of rendition carries no hierarchical significance since Tamil Nadu remains an inseparable part of India.

What Thirupathy Said on the State Song

Speaking to reporters, Thirupathy was unequivocal: 'Tamil Thai Vazhthu, our national song and our national anthem are all equally important. Whether one is sung first, second or third does not matter. If someone wants Tamil Thai Vazhthu to be sung first, there is no problem. Everything is our lifeline.'

He urged against politicising the sequence of rendition, adding: 'Let us not take this as an issue and create a controversy. After all, Tamil Nadu is also an integral part of India. So, we have no problem with the order of singing — just that it should be sung.' His remarks come amid a broader public debate in Tamil Nadu over cultural and linguistic identity, where the primacy of the state song has periodically surfaced as a flashpoint.

BJP Targets Assembly Speaker Over Religious Promotion Allegation

Separately, Thirupathy levelled sharp criticism at Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar, accusing him of using his constitutional position to promote Christianity. The controversy follows Prabhakar's attendance as chief guest at the 5th National March for Life, an anti-abortion rally held on 8 and 9 August in Chennai.

'We have seen that JCD Prabhakar has been supportive of Christianity from the very beginning and has been trying to promote the Christian religion. There is no problem with him having faith in his religion, but in a democracy, he should not use his position to emphasise or promote his own religion,' Thirupathy said.

Double Standard Charge and Call to CM Vijay

The BJP spokesperson also alleged a selective response from political circles, remarking: 'If someone had made a similar statement about the Hindu religion, they would have been branded as communal. But why they are not doing so is because they are pseudo secular.' He stopped short of naming specific parties but the remark was directed at Tamil Nadu's ruling political establishment.

Thirupathy called on Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to intervene, saying the CM 'should advise him not to do such things which is going to affect the TVK-led government itself.' The demand signals the BJP's intent to keep pressure on the Thozhilalar Katchchi (TVK)-led administration over perceived religious partisanship by a constitutional office-holder.

Background and Political Context

The Tamil Thai Vazhthu debate is not new to Tamil Nadu politics; successive governments and cultural groups have periodically asserted its primacy as an expression of Dravidian identity. The BJP, historically a marginal force in the state, has in recent years sought to recalibrate its Tamil Nadu strategy — avoiding outright confrontation on linguistic pride while pressing harder on issues it frames as secularism and constitutional propriety. Thirupathy's dual statement on Saturday reflects that balancing act: conciliatory on the state song, combative on the Speaker controversy.