# Kozhikode I-Day ceremony descends into chaos as councillors sing over each other 2026-08-15T22:44:48+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony at the Kozhikode Corporation in Kerala on Saturday turned chaotic as two groups of councillors sang the national anthem and the national song simultaneously. Mayor O. Sadasivan had announced the national anthem after hoisting the flag, but as the ruling CPI(M) and opposition UDF councillors began singing Jana Gana Mana, about seven BJP councillors started singing the full version of Vande Mataram. Both groups continued despite the confusion, and the Mayor and other councillors departed after finishing the anthem, while the BJP councillors persisted. BJP councillor T. Raneesh said the party had notified the Mayor in advance that its councillors would sing Vande Mataram, alleging the simultaneous rendition disrespected both songs. Deputy Mayor S. Jayasree criticised the BJP for singing over the national anthem, stating the Corporation traditionally sang Jana Gana Mana and that the national song could have followed. The incident comes amid a national debate over the Union government's Har Ghar Tiranga campaign and the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, which included a central directive to sing the song at events. Separately, in New Delhi, a video from the Congress headquarters showed party chairperson Sonia Gandhi gesturing during the full rendition of Vande Mataram. BJP MP Anurag Thakur accused Congress of insulting the national song, while Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said Sonia was asking for a chair for party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who was standing for a long time. Ramesh added that since a 1937 Congress Working Committee meeting, the party has sung only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, following objections from Muslims who considered the song idolatrous. ## Coverage - thehindu.com - timesofindia.indiatimes.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-16T01:18:24+00:00. Tags: BJP, CPI(M), Har Ghar Tiranga, Kozhikode Corporation, UDF Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kozhikode-councillors-sing-anthem-and-vande-mataram-in-chaotic-clash/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kozhikode-councillors-sing-anthem-and-vande-mataram-in-chaotic-clash/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/