Row Over Tamil Nadu State Anthem Interruption: Kanimozhi Says Annamalai Stood Silent When It Was ‘Insulted’ By KS Eshwarappa; Annamalai Hits Back

During a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) event in Karnataka's Shivamogga organised for Tamil voters, former deputy chief minister, KS Eshwarappa stopped the Tamil state anthem, ‘Tamil Thai Vazhthu’ when it was being played.

According to a report in Deccan Herald, he reportedly said that there was no need to play the Tamil state anthem and asked if any of the women in the audience could sing it. As no one volunteered, the Karnataka state anthem was played.

Kanimozhi, the deputy general secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), criticized Tamil Nadu BJP state president, K Annamalai saying that he remained a mute spectator when Eshwarappa had 'insulted' the Tamil state anthem by stopping it in between.

She added that he (Annamalai) should apologise to the Tamil people.

To this, Annamalai responded by saying that Eshwarappa had not done any wrong because after playing the anthem of one state, the anthem of the other state should follow.

According to some political commentators, as per the usual practice, the state anthem of Karnataka should have been played before the state anthem of Tamil Nadu because the event was taking place in Karnataka.

Further, he said that he would like to remind Kanimozhi that a case had been filed by an AIADMK functionary, RM Babu Murugavel, against Chief Minister MK Stalin for hoisting the national flag and not playing the national anthem after that at the DMK headquarters and so it is better that her party not question him.

He added that the DMK had removed certain lines in the Tamil state anthem which had referred to Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Tulu and tried to sow the seeds of division in the state.