Don't mix politics with music, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin comes out in support of TM Krishna in Kalanidhi award controversy

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has come out in support of Carnatic musician TM Krishna who won the Madras Sangeetha Academy's Sangeet Kalanidhi award. Stalin's policy was clarified after the BJP came in support of those opposing the award to Krishna.

"Don't mix politics with music like religion with politics. It is wrong to oppose Krishna because of Periyar's ideas. Congratulations to Krishna and the Academy," Stalin wrote on social media. He said that no one who knew Periyar's selfless life and his thoughts would throw dirt like this.

Several Carnatic musicians had expressed their opposition to the award being given to TM Krishna. BJP state president K Annamalai supported them, saying that Krishna had insulted music geniuses Thyagarajan and MS Subbalakshmi. With Stalin coming into the picture, the award controversy turned into a political controversy during the election season.

In protest, the Ranjini-Gayatri sisters announced that they would boycott Sangeetha Akademi's annual music festival in December. Thrissur brothers Srikrishna Mohan and Ramkumar Mohan and singer Visakha Hari came forward against Krishna. They also announced that they will boycott the music festival. Chitraveena Ravikiran, who received the 2017 Sangeetha Kalanidhi Award, has announced that she will return the award.

Many people came forward with support for TM Krishna. Nithyanand Jayaraman, a social activist who has worked with Krishna, who has previously performed concerts in Chennai's fisherman village, said artistes cannot be segregated on the basis of caste or politics. Singer Chinmayi also came out in support of Krishna.

சிறந்த பாடகர் @tmkrishna அவர்கள் #TheMusicAcademy-இன் 'சங்கீத கலாநிதி' விருதுக்குத் தேர்வாகி இருப்பதற்கு எனது அன்பான வாழ்த்துகளையும் பாராட்டுகளையும் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன்.

திரு. கிருஷ்ணா அவர்கள் கொண்டுள்ள முற்போக்கு அரசியல் நிலைப்பாடுகளினாலும், அவர் எளியோரைப் பற்றித் தொடர்ந்து…

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) March 23, 2024