Kerala government skips Vande Mataram at Independence Day events

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala omitted Vande Mataram from the State-level Independence Day function at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, even as the Centre had included the song in its guidelines for the day. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan hoisted the national flag and the ceremony ended with the national anthem alone. The Deccan Herald reports that the state government's circular on Friday had only mentioned the national anthem. The Hindu adds that a circular from the Centre, forwarded by Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha, had directed that the full version of Vande Mataram be sung as part of the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign.

In contrast, the BJP-ruled Thiruvananthapuram Corporation sang Vande Mataram in full at its own celebration after Mayor V.V. Rajesh hoisted the flag; opposition councillors were absent. At the Kerala Legislative Assembly, Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan hoisted the flag and paid tributes at statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, B.R. Ambedkar and K.R. Narayanan. The State Election Commission and Sainik School also held events, with SEC chief N. Seshadrinathan calling for efforts to keep young people away from narcotics and government employees free of corruption.