Kerala: Full Recital Of 'Vande Mataram' At CM Satheesan's Oath-Taking Ceremony Sparks Debate Between Left, BJP

A major political row has erupted in Kerala following the full rendition of the national song, 'Vande Mataram,' at the swearing-in ceremony of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government.

The Left has sharply criticised the move, labelling the full rendition of Vande Mataram an 'incorrect step' and saying it is "inappropriate in a pluralistic society." Meanwhile, the BJP hit back, accusing the Communists of 'insulting' the national song to 'appease radical vote-bank forces like the Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI.'

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CPI Questions Full Rendition Of Vande Mataram

The CPIM was the first to raise an objection on Tuesday and was soon joined by the CPI, which questioned the decision to play the full version of the song.

Criticising the move, CPI's Binoy Viswam said, "When you go back to history and look at the reasons for removing the few lines of Vande Mataram, it was because those lines would lead to a certain kind of thinking and it was not compatible with Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi's vision of a secular nation. The Congress party shouldn't have forgotten that."

CPI state secretariat said that Congress Working Committee had, as early as 1937, recognised that full recital of 'Vande Mataram' was not suitable for a pluralistic society, leading to the removal of certain stanzas.

The party further noted that the Constituent Assembly clarified in 1950 that only the first eight lines of the approved version should be treated as the national song.

The CPI(M) also noted that the full renditions of Vande Mataram were not performed even in BJP-ruled West Bengal during swearing-in ceremonies, suggesting that the Kerala government's move was unusual.

Distancing itself from the row, sources in the newly sworn-in government clarified that they had no role in the programme. Speaking to news agency PTI, the sources said that the event was fully organised by the Lok Bhavan.

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BJP Hits Back, Accuses Left Of Appeasement Politics

BJP Kerala President and newly elected Nemom MLA Rajeev Chandrasekhar accused the Left of alienating itself from the nation's culture, labelling Marxism an 'imported ideology' that failed to align with Indian values. He accused the Left of targeting the national song to 'appease vote-bank forces such as Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI. '

Taking to 'X' (formerly Twitter), the BJP leader termed the questioning of Vande Mataram as the "final desperate act of a decisively rejected CPIM" in Kerala.

"Disrespecting India for political survival is not secularism. It is dangerous appeasement politics and pro-radicalism," he said.