Vande Mataram rendition row rocks Kerala Assembly

The Congress-led UDF government decided to skip the full version of the national song after its rendition during the Cabinet swearing-in ceremony sparked controversy, with the Opposition LDF alleging Chief Minister V D Satheesan had surrendered before the Sangh Parivar.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar later expressed discontent over the issue and flagged a protocol violation.

Addressing the media at Lok Bhavan, the Governor said: “Yesterday, we had insisted that whenever the governor is present, as per protocol, ‘Vande Mataram’ has to be sung fully. It was not sung, but only played by the band. Yet they could have played it fully. I have spoken to the assembly speaker. Let us see how things develop”.

While Opposition leader and CPI(M) politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan not only backed the abridged version of the song but also said, “It is not mandatory to stand when Vande Mataram is sung.”

BJP legislator V Muraleedharan said the government’s stand was an insult to the Lok Bhavan as well as the governor.

He claimed the state administration had bowed before the ideological positions of the CPI(M) and Jamaat-e-Islami.

The BJP leader also sought to corner the Congress historically, asking why the party was distancing itself from a song first rendered during the 1896 Congress session and closely associated with India’s freedom movement.

Even as the issue snowballed into the first political controversy confronting the newly sworn-in Cabinet, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said, “We were not aware that the entire version of Vande Mataram would be rendered. The swearing-in ceremony was conducted by the Lok Bhavan and the instructions came from there. We realized it only when it was being sung during the function. It was inappropriate to interrupt midway”.

The choice to shorten the national song reflects a balancing act between protocol and political positioning.

The UDF government sought to avoid repeating the controversy from its swearing-in, when the full rendition drew Left criticism for including religious imagery. By limiting the song to secular stanzas, the government aligned with earlier Constituent Assembly decisions and Congress Working Committee positions, while signalling a softer tone towards political opponents.

The Union Home Affairs Ministry had issued a circular stating that the official version of the national song has six stanzas, and provided the complete lyrics, which some interpreted as requiring full renditions at important events.

In the Assembly, the UDF government opted for a shorter, instrumental version, citing political comfort and secular considerations. This selective adaptation underscores ongoing tensions between state practices, central directives, and symbolic politics in Kerala’s legislative traditions.