2 weeks ago
BJP Slams Kerala for Skipping Vande Mataram in I-Day Celebrations
India has a special day every August called Independence Day, when people celebrate their country becoming free.
On that day, many people sing a famous patriotic song called Vande Mataram, which means 'I bow to the motherland.'
This year, the leaders of a state called Kerala did not sing Vande Mataram at their big official celebration.
A political group called the BJP was very upset about this and said the state leaders broke the law and insulted the country's Constitution.
The BJP said the state government was listening too much to certain groups instead of following the national government's instructions.
The leaders of Kerala said there was no official order saying they had to sing the song, and called it a technical problem.
To show their feelings, BJP workers sang Vande Mataram at 15,000 places across Kerala while raising the national flag.
A BJP leader named Rajeev Chandrasekhar warned that the state government could face legal consequences for not following the Centre's instructions.
Now the two groups are having a big disagreement about whether the song should have been sung.
Kerala's Congress-led UDF government omitted Vande Mataram from its official Independence Day state function at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
The BJP condemned the move as a direct insult to the Constitution and vowed to challenge the state government legally and politically.
BJP leader Shone George alleged Chief Minister VD Satheesan has had an 'illicit relationship' with Jamaat-e-Islami and anti-India forces, and accused the government of appeasing the Indian Union Muslim League, which controls the education portfolio.
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar warned of legal and political consequences, noting Congress governments in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh reportedly followed the Centre's Har Ghar Tiranga directive.
As a counter, BJP workers raised the national flag and sang Vande Mataram at 15,000 centres across Kerala.
- Who
- Kerala's Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government under Chief Minister VD Satheesan, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led in the state by president Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
- What
- A political and legal row over the exclusion of the national song Vande Mataram from Kerala's official Independence Day celebrations, which the BJP condemns as an insult to the Constitution and a violation of the law.
- Where
- Kerala, India — the official state function was held at Central Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, and BJP counter-events took place at 15,000 centres across the state.
- When
- Saturday, at the official Independence Day state function, followed by a Sunday press conference by BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar; the dispute arose during the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign observed from August 9 to 17.
- Why
- The BJP alleges the state government deliberately omitted the song to appease radical elements, the Indian Union Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami; Kerala officials cited the existing General Administration Department circular that contained no direction to sing Vande Mataram.
BJP: Deliberate Omission Breaks the Law
Kerala Government: Technical Matter, Existing Guidelines
Nature of the omission
BJP: Deliberate Omission Breaks the Law
The BJP called it an intentional surrender to radical elements and a 'silent ban' on the national song, describing it as a direct insult to the Constitution and to freedom fighters.
Kerala Government: Technical Matter, Existing Guidelines
Kerala officials described the matter as a technical issue, saying the General Administration Department's circular governing celebrations did not contain any direction to sing Vande Mataram.
Compliance with the Centre's directive
BJP: Deliberate Omission Breaks the Law
Rajeev Chandrasekhar accused the UDF of violating the law by ignoring Union Ministry of Culture instructions on the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, questioning why Kerala objected when Congress governments in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh reportedly complied.
Kerala Government: Technical Matter, Existing Guidelines
State ministers said that if the song were included in an official programme, only the first two stanzas adopted by the Constituent Assembly would be rendered, and the Directorate of General Education instructed schools to sing the national anthem without mentioning the national song.
Role of the Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami
BJP: Deliberate Omission Breaks the Law
BJP leaders alleged the omission reflected the growing influence of the Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami over the UDF administration, with Shone George accusing the Chief Minister of an 'illicit relationship' with these forces.
Kerala Government: Technical Matter, Existing Guidelines
State officials cited existing administrative guidelines and treated the exclusion as a technical matter rather than a political decision influenced by outside groups.
Key facts
- Controversy
- Vande Mataram omitted from Kerala's official Independence Day function
- Accusing Party
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
- State Government
- Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)
- Chief Minister
- VD Satheesan
- State Function Venue
- Central Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
- BJP Counter-Campaign
- Flag-raising with Vande Mataram at 15,000 centres
- Background Directive
- 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign (August 9–17)
- Legal Reference
- Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026
Quotes
Rajeev Chandrasekhar
President of Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party
“We were convinced of this. Because this is not new - for the past one year, the chief minister has had an illicit relationship with Jamaat-e-Islami and anti-India forces, both openly and covertly in Kerala,”
NDTV
“I haven't received the order, but if an official has issued such an order, make no mistake, that official will face consequences,”
NDTV










