The BJP led National Democratic Alliance government at the centre found itself in a new controversy following rendering of a Sanskrit invocation song at an event attended by two Union ministers at the IIT Madras on Monday with opposition parties including DMK questioning why the Tamil anthem was not sung.
A Sanskrit song "Maha Ganapathim Manasa Smarami" was sung at the beginning of the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts, to be set up along with IIT Madras. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan participated at IIT-M function.
"It is highly condemnable that once again Tamil anthem has been insulted in Tamil Nadu that too in the function where BJP's central ministers were present," DMK working president MK Stalin said. He alleged that it was a planned attempt to insult the Tamil culture by the central institution with the playing of a Sanskrit religious song going against the Tamil Nadu government's protocol of playing Tamil anthem at the start of the event and ending it with the national anthem.
As the controversy surfaced, IIT-Madras Director Bhaskar Ramamoorthy, who was present at the event, clarified the institution does not issue any directions to students for a particular song to be sung. "We do not issue any directions to the students. It is they who choose the invocation song and render it on such occasions," he said. He was reacting to questions from reporters on the rendering of the Sanskrit song instead of the Tamil anthem penned by Manomaniam Sundaram Pillai, sung during functions in the state.
"Both Nitin Gadkari and Pon Radhakrishnan, who were at the function, should publicly tender an apology as the singing of the Tamil invocation song is the usual practice in any government function," MDMK general secretary Vaiko told reporters in Coimbatore. CPI-M and PMK also condemned overlooking of the Tamil invocation song. CPI(M) State Secretary K Balakrishnan charged that it was another form of 'imposing' Hindi and Sanskrit.
IIT-M CLARIFIES
- IIT-Madras clarified that the institution had not issued any direction to the students for a particular song to be sung. “It is they who choose the invocation song and render it on such occasions,” it said.
