Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday accused the UDF government of violating the law by omitting the recital of Vande Mataram from the state’s official Independence Day celebrations.
Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Chandrasekhar said the state government could face legal and political consequences for failing to comply with the Union government’s instructions.
He alleged that the decision reflected the influence of the Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami over the state administration led by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan.
“No one is permitted to decide which laws should be followed and which can be ignored,” Chandrasekhar said.
He questioned why Kerala had objected to the Centre’s directive when Congress governments in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh had reportedly followed it.
The BJP leader alleged that the controversy demonstrated the growing influence of the two organisations on the UDF government.
He said that he had earlier warned that allowing them to influence governance would have serious consequences.
The dispute arose following a communication from the Union Ministry of Culture concerning the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, being observed from August 9 to 17.
A letter issued by Kerala Chief Secretary Biswanath Sinha, citing the Ministry’s instructions, said that programmes during the campaign should combine the hoisting of the national flag with the collective singing of Vande Mataram.
The communication also asked officials to follow the Centre’s directions regarding the full rendition of the national song.
The instruction, however, prompted criticism and debate in Kerala.
State officials described the matter as a technical issue and said the guidelines of the General Administration Department would be followed.
The department’s circular governing Independence Day celebrations did not contain any direction to sing Vande Mataram.
Ministers said that, if included in an official programme, only the first two stanzas adopted by the Constituent Assembly would be rendered.
The Directorate of General Education subsequently instructed schools to hoist the national flag and sing the national anthem at 9 a.m., without mentioning the national song.
The song was also not included in the state-level Independence Day ceremony attended by the Chief Minister at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, extends statutory protection to the national song alongside the national anthem.
(IANS)
