# Tamil Nadu MPs seek anthem protocol from governor after order dispute 2026-08-06T07:23:08+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Twenty-one Tamil Nadu MPs wrote to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on 5 August seeking a clear protocol under which Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu is performed first at official and university events and the National Anthem last, according to India Today. The request followed the 28 July convocation of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, where, the MPs said, instructions from Raj Bhavan led the event to open with Vande Mataram, then the National Anthem, with Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu played third, an order they described as an unintended slight to the state and to the university's namesake. The letter, signed by leaders including P Chidambaram, noted that Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu became Tamil Nadu's official state song in 2021 and pointed to the Governor's own June 2026 assembly address, which had opened with the Tamil anthem. Raj Bhavan had not responded to the letter by the time of the report. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The MPs themselves cast this as a plea for a standing rule rather than a grievance, and the claim that Raj Bhavan's office set the disputed order at the convocation comes only from their letter, since the Governor's office has offered no version of events of its own. Painting the running order as a calculated snub risks stoking a row that a genuine scheduling question does not need, but brushing the complaint aside would ignore an objection raised by twenty-one sitting parliamentarians. Whether Raj Bhavan answers the letter, or sets out a written protocol for these events, is the response the MPs are waiting on. ## Coverage - www.indiatoday.in Tags: Tamil Nadu, Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/21-tamil-nadu-mps-write-to-governor-to-restore-state-anthem-as-first-song-at-events/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/21-tamil-nadu-mps-write-to-governor-to-restore-state-anthem-as-first-song-at-events/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.