# Pinarayi Vijayan asks Kerala to drop Vande Mataram order 2026-08-08T14:52:26+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Kerala Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday demanded the UDF government withdraw its order to sing the full version of Vande Mataram on Independence Day. He said only the opening stanzas align with secularism and called the move a surrender to the RSS agenda. The order, issued by Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha on August 6, follows a Union Ministry communication integrating the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign with the 150th year of Vande Mataram. The Union government made full recitation mandatory in February, and Parliament passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill on July 30. Ministers gave conflicting statements: Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said only two stanzas would be sung, while Education Minister N. Shamsudheen said the state merely forwarded central directives. IUML leaders appeared split, with some questioning the policy. ## Coverage - indiatoday.in - thehindu.com Tags: Independence Day, Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, RSS, secularism, Vande Mataram Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/vijayan-asks-kerala-govt-to-drop-full-vande-mataram-order/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/vijayan-asks-kerala-govt-to-drop-full-vande-mataram-order/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.