Vande Mataram Controversy: Kerala Schools Face Independence Day Row Over National Song

The Kerala government has told schools to only sing the National Anthem for Independence Day. A new circular from the State Protocol Department makes no mention of Vande Mataram, even for official state functions.

Thiruvananthapuram: In a major development, schools across Kerala have been instructed not to have ‘Vande Mataram’ sung during the Independence Day celebrations tomorrow. The General Education Department has forwarded a circular from the State Protocol Department which only directs schools to sing the National Anthem.

This directive also applies to official state functions where the Chief Minister and other ministers will be the chief guests; ‘Vande Mataram’ will not be part of the programme there either.

The Chief Minister has remained tight-lipped on the ‘Vande Mataram’ issue, adding to the suspense. The whole thing blew up after the Chief Secretary, acting on a directive from the Central Cultural Department, issued a circular asking for the full version of ‘Vande Mataram’ to be sung. This created a huge political controversy.

Even though that circular has not been officially withdrawn, this new directive from the State Protocol Department effectively sidelines it. The instruction for both government functions and schools is now clear: only the National Anthem is to be sung.

The LDF government continues to face political heat over the Chief Secretary's initial circular. However, the Independence Day celebration at Lok Bhavan will be an exception, where the full version of ‘Vande Mataram’ will be sung.

The controversy took a new turn when the Education Minister claimed that the Chief Secretary's circular was based on an instruction from Lok Bhavan. However, Lok Bhavan has denied giving any such directive, adding another layer to the ongoing row.