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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced on Saturday, July 18, that the state will celebrate its formation on two days – July 18 and November 1. While November 1 was the day the Madras State was created in 1956, the state’s name was officially changed to Tamil Nadu on July 18, 1967, through an Assembly resolution passed by former CM CN Annadurai.
In 2019, the then AIADMK government led by Edappadi K Palaniswami had said that November 1 would be observed as Tamil Nadu Day to commemorate the state’s formation. After coming to power in 2021, the DMK government under MK Stalin decided that July 18 would be observed as Tamil Nadu Day instead.
Stalin said that the change was made on demands from several Tamil scholars and political parties. He said that on November 1, 1956, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and parts of Kerala were carved out of the erstwhile Madras State amid linguistic reorganisation of states, and that July 18 was more suited to be celebrated as Tamil Nadu Day. AIADMK had opposed the change at the time.
Announcing his decision to commemorate both days, CM Vijay said on July 18, “May the sweetness of Tamil, the noble culture of the Tamils, and the tradition of humanism thrive across generations.”
“I am pleased to announce that this government will celebrate both November 1, the day Madras State was formed, and July 18, the day the historic resolution of unparalleled significance was proposed and passed in the Legislative Assembly by the great scholar Anna to name it 'Tamil Nadu',” he said.
The move came amid demands from a few leaders, including Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader Anbumani Ramadoss, to declare November 1 as Tamil Nadu Day instead of July 18.
Senior DMK leader Thangam Thennarasu questioned CM Vijay’s decision, saying on November 1, when states were reorganised linguistically, Tamil Nadu “lost more than it gained”. He added that under the DMK government, November 1 was commemorated as ‘Border Struggle Martyrs' Day’ to honour those who laid down their lives fighting to protect the borders of Tamil Nadu.
