Now Reading: Kerala refuses full Vande Mataram, will sing only first two couplets
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Kerala refuses full Vande Mataram, will sing only first two couplets
Kerala will continue singing only the first two couplets of Vande Mataram at state government programmes, Health Minister K Muraleedharan and Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan said on Sunday. Their statement came after…
The Story in Brief
Kerala will continue singing only the first two couplets of Vande Mataram at state government programmes, Health Minister K Muraleedharan and Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan said on Sunday. Their statement came after Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha issued a circular on August 6 directing full rendition of the national song during Independence Day events, citing instructions from the Union Ministry of Culture.
The circular also integrates the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign from August 9 to 17. Opposition CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan criticised the directive as a surrender to the RSS agenda. The Governor’s office denied issuing any such instructions, Telangana Today reports. The UDF government had earlier decided against singing the full six-stanza version in the state Assembly.
The Indian Opinion
The row exaggerates both sides: the CPI(M) sees RSS takeover in a routine chief secretary circular, while the Centre frames defiance as disrespect. In Kerala, the practice of singing only the first two couplets is decades old and politically settled. The real test will be on Independence Day itself, will the full song be sung at official events attended by the Governor? That single moment will show whether the circular has any force at all.
Sources (2): thenewsminute.com, telanganatoday.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
