Chennai: Swami Vijayendra Saraswathi is at the centre of a controversy after he did not stand up for the Tamil anthem at an event in the city on Tuesday.

A video of the Kanchi Shankaracharya sitting, while the governor and other dignitaries stood up for the Tamil Thai Vazhtu (Invocation to Tamil Mother), has gone viral.

The spiritual leader is facing backlash on social media as he stood up for the national anthem but not the Tamil state song. The incident took place during an event at the Music Academy in the city.

Vijayendra Saraswathi is the 70th Shankaracharya Guru of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Interestingly, the state BJP president, Tamilisai Soundararajan and even the ruling AIADMK have refused to comment on the issue.

Talking to News18, a senior Kanchipuram Mutt member has said that the Shankaracharya was meditating while the anthem was playing, hence he did not stand up for it.

Poet and lyricist Vairamuthu, who was in news recently for his controversial remarks on saint Andal, said: "National anthem is to respect the country, Tamil anthem is to respect Tamil language. Both ought to be respected equally."