Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay used his first Independence Day address as Chief Minister to deliver a lengthy political speech on the functioning of his three-month-old government, while the state’s Independence Day ceremony at Fort St George did not include a rendition of Vande Mataram, the national song.
The ceremony at the historic Fort St George on Saturday, 15 August 2026, began with Vijay inspecting the parade and receiving the ceremonial guard of honour. The national flag was then unfurled, followed by the national anthem.
However, Vande Mataram, one of the most important songs of India’s freedom movement, was conspicuously absent from the state’s Independence Day programme.
The omission comes on the same day that the full rendition of Vande Mataram was sung at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, despite objections from senior Congress leaders.
National Ceremony Turned Into Political Address; Targets Centre
Instead of using the occasion primarily to commemorate Independence and honour the country’s freedom fighters, Vijay’s address quickly turned into a political presentation of the TVK government’s achievements and ideological positioning.
Vijay spoke at length about his three-month-old administration, claiming that his government was building a transparent and corruption-free Tamil Nadu.
He said protecting Tamil Nadu from bribery and corruption was itself a form of liberation and declared that his government was working towards that objective.
He also invoked the language of social justice, saying the government was based on the principle that “birth is equal for all living beings” and promising an administration free from corruption and drug culture, while focusing on women’s safety.
The Chief Minister also took a political swipe at the Centre, saying that while his government would cooperate with the Union government on schemes beneficial to Tamil Nadu, it would oppose decisions that affected the state’s rights or interests.
Vijay also used the occasion to thank his “Gen Z young comrades” for giving him the opportunity to hoist the national flag, adding another distinctly political note to what was supposed to be a state Independence Day ceremony.
Where Was Vande Mataram?
The absence of Vande Mataram is particularly notable given the significance of the song to India’s freedom struggle.
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a nationwide mandate making the full, six-stanza version of “Vande Mataram” mandatory for formal government functions, granting it equal legal status to the National Anthem and fixing its playing time at exactly 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Under these guidelines, audiences are legally required to stand completely at attention for the entire duration, a cue signaled by an introductory seven-pace drum roll. This protocol was completely skipped at today’s Independence Day ceremony when Chief Minister Joseph Vijay followed the old standard outdoor flag code, directly hoisting the Tricolour and playing Jana Gana Mana.
Independence Day is not merely an occasion for a state government to present its achievements. It is a national commemoration of the sacrifices that made independence possible.
Yet, at the Tamil Nadu government’s official Independence Day ceremony, the sequence moved from the parade and guard of honour to the flag unfurling and national anthem, with no rendition of Vande Mataram.
The omission raises questions about whether the TVK government deliberately chose to avoid the national song despite the occasion being specifically meant to commemorate India’s independence.
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