Kerala will continue its existing practice of singing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at state government programmes, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Sunday, rejecting directions for the full rendition of the national song.
Muraleedharan's remarks came after a letter issued by Kerala Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha on August 6 in connection with the Centre's Har Ghar Tiranga campaign and the 150th anniversary commemorations of Vande Mataram. The development has triggered a fresh political controversy in the state over the rendition of the national song.
'Only the first two couplets will be sung'
Muraleedharan said Kerala would follow the protocol it has traditionally followed at state government functions." In all state government programmes only the first two couplets were sung in the past, and that practice will continue even now," he said. The minister said the Chief Secretary was required to issue circulars when directions were received from the Centre, but maintained that the state would not change its existing practice.
"But Kerala will not accept it. We will continue with our earlier system. We will follow the same old protocol in all state government events or programmes. Only the first two couplets will be sung," Muraleedharan said. He also pointed out that the full version of Vande Mataram was sung during the oath-taking ceremony of the state government because the event was held in the presence of the Governor. According to Muraleedharan, programmes attended by the Governor follow the applicable central government protocol, while Kerala government programmes would continue to follow the state's established protocol.
What did the Chief Secretary's letter say?
The controversy follows a letter issued by Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha on August 6 regarding this year's Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, which is being observed from August 9 to 17. The letter said the 2026 edition of the campaign, which was launched in 2022 under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, had been integrated with the third phase of the nationwide commemoration marking 150 years of Vande Mataram.
It stated that physical celebrations during the campaign would combine collective singing of Vande Mataram with the hoisting or display of the National Flag. Digital participation would be carried out through the Har Ghar Tiranga portal, where citizens could upload their "Selfie with Tricolour". The letter also stated that the Government of India's instructions regarding the recitation of Vande Mataram would be followed in full.
Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan takes strong stand
Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan also opposed the full rendition of Vande Mataram in Kerala. Speaking to a television channel, Unnithan said he was not aware of any direction from the Chief Secretary requiring the complete rendition but insisted that the full song would not be sung in Kerala. He said the state would continue with the manner in which Vande Mataram has traditionally been sung at government programmes.
Unnithan went further, saying the full rendition would not happen in Kerala "in this lifetime". He also strongly criticised the role of Governors and alleged that Lok Bhavans had become centres of what he described as "low-level politics".
CPI(M) demands withdrawal of direction
The issue has also drawn criticism from the opposition CPI(M), which has demanded that the direction for the full rendition of Vande Mataram be withdrawn. The party has alleged that the state government was surrendering to what it described as an RSS agenda by issuing such directions.
The latest controversy is not the first time the rendition of Vande Mataram has triggered a political dispute in Kerala this year. In May, the full rendition of the song during the swearing-in ceremony of the UDF government led to criticism from the CPI(M), while the BJP criticised the subsequent decision to use only a shorter version during the Governor's policy address.
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan had earlier maintained that there was no law enacted by Parliament making the full rendition mandatory, saying there were guidelines concerning the national song. The latest disagreement has therefore brought the question of the prescribed rendition of Vande Mataram back into the political spotlight, with the Kerala government maintaining that it will continue its existing practice at state government programmes.
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