At Vijay’s Oath, Vande Mataram Plays In Full Followed By Jana Gana Mana

Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium came alive today with thousands cheering for Tamil Nadu’s new Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay as he took the oath after a historic performance by his new party, TVK, in the assembly election.

Among the many interesting sights and sounds at Vijay’s oath-taking ceremony, ‘Vande Mataram’ was sung in full. It was followed by the national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and the state song ‘Tamil Thai Vazhthu’.

The sequence followed the Union Home Ministry’s order in January that said all six stanzas of Vande Mataram, written by Bengali poet Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, shall be sung first when the national song and the national anthem are to be played together.

The Centre is observing the 150th year of Vande Mataram, which played a historic part in the struggle for freedom from British rule. In the latest move just days ago, the Union Cabinet approved an amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, granting Vande Mataram the same statutory protection as the national anthem.

The national song, however, was not played when the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the Bengal Chief Minister on Saturday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders in attendance.(UPDATED ON 10TH MAY 2026)