Now Reading: Kerala to retain two-couplet Vande Mataram protocol
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Kerala to retain two-couplet Vande Mataram protocol
Kerala will continue singing only the first two couplets of Vande Mataram at state government programmes, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Sunday. Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan also rejected a full rendition.…
The Story in Brief
Kerala will continue singing only the first two couplets of Vande Mataram at state government programmes, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Sunday. Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan also rejected a full rendition. Their comments followed Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha’s August 6 letter, which said Independence Day events should include collective singing of the national song with the National Flag and that government instructions on reciting it would be followed in full.
The letter cited the Centre’s Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, scheduled for August 9 to 17. The CPI(M) criticised the directive and sought its withdrawal, alleging an RSS agenda. The News Minute reported that the General Education Minister linked the circular to instructions from Lok Bhavan, while the Governor’s office denied issuing such directions. Kerala had earlier chosen the first two stanzas in the Assembly.
The Indian Opinion
The loudest claims turn a protocol dispute into a test of patriotism or a simple Centre versus state fight. Neither framing settles what Kerala’s circular legally requires, or whether the Chief Secretary’s letter binds state programmes. Ministers have stated their position, while the reported disagreement over the Governor’s role needs a clear written record. The practical test is whether Independence Day events from August 9 to 17 use two couplets or all six, and which order governs them.
Sources (3): thenewsminute.com, telanganatoday.com, timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
