Archive · 10 Aug 2026
Kerala refuses Centre's full Vande Mataram directive on Independence Day
India has a special song called Vande Mataram.
The national government asked every state to sing the whole song to celebrate Independence Day.
Kerala, a state in India, said no.
Kerala's leaders said they will keep singing only the first two parts of the song, just like they always have.
This started a big argument between Kerala and the national government.
A top official in Kerala sent a note on August 6 asking for the full song, and many people got upset.
Some groups in Kerala say the later parts of the song have words that do not fit official events.
The national campaign, called Har Ghar Tiranga, runs from August 9 to 17 to mark 150 years of the song.
Kerala's leaders promised they will not change how they sing the song, no matter what.
So the two sides still disagree about how much of the song should be sung.
Kerala's Congress-led state government will continue its existing practice of singing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at official programmes, declining the Union culture ministry's directive to sing the full version.
The row began with an August 6 circular by Kerala chief secretary Bishwanath Sinha directing the national song to be rendered 'in full' at Independence Day-related programmes.
The Centre's Har Ghar Tiranga campaign runs from August 9 to 17 and marks 150 years of Vande Mataram; its integration with the commemoration was approved by a National Implementation Committee chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan's CPI(M) accused the Congress-led government of surrendering to the Sangh Parivar's political agenda, while the Indian Union Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami also opposed the full rendition.
Kasaragod MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the full version would not be sung even if Prime Minister Narendra Modi threatened them, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) hit back at critics of the song.
- Who
- Kerala's Congress-led government, including minister K. Muraleedharan and Kasaragod MP Rajmohan Unnithan, against the Centre's directive; critics of the circular include Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan.
- What
- Kerala will keep singing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at official functions, rejecting the Union culture ministry's instruction to sing the full national song during the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign and Independence Day celebrations.
- When
- August 2026, days ahead of Independence Day; the circular was issued on August 6 and the campaign runs from August 9 to 17.
- Where
- Kerala, India; the controversy also drew reactions from VHP leaders in Delhi.
- Why
- The Union government asked all states to sing Vande Mataram as part of the 150-year commemoration, while Kerala leaders cite the state's long-standing protocol of singing only the first two stanzas.
Kerala government and Opposition critics
Union government, BJP and VHP
Rendition of Vande Mataram at official programmes
Kerala government and Opposition critics
Kerala will continue its existing protocol of singing only the first two stanzas at official functions; Muraleedharan noted the full version was not even sung at the swearing-in of the V.D. Satheesan-led UDF government in May.
Union government, BJP and VHP
The Union culture ministry instructed all states to sing Vande Mataram in full during the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign and Independence Day celebrations, as part of the nationwide commemoration of 150 years of the song.
Reading of the later stanzas
Kerala government and Opposition critics
CPI(M), Congress, the Indian Union Muslim League and other formations argue the later stanzas contain invocations and imagery associated with Hindu deities and should not be part of official renditions in a secular state; CPI(M) accused the government of surrendering to the Sangh Parivar's political agenda, and Jamaat-e-Islami's Kerala chief P Mujeeb Rahman called the move 'protest-worthy.'
Union government, BJP and VHP
VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said Vande Mataram cannot be reduced to an RSS-versus-secularism debate, invoking the song's role in India's freedom struggle and the soldiers serving along the country's borders.
Defiance and the political fallout
Kerala government and Opposition critics
State leaders say only the first two stanzas will be sung regardless of the Centre's demand; Unnithan said the full version would not be sung even if Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'threatens to shoot us.'
Union government, BJP and VHP
Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said Kerala is getting distracted by 'manufactured controversies' and should instead discuss recurring floods, accountability, solutions and systemic change.
- Event
- Har Ghar Tiranga campaign integrated with the commemoration of 150 years of Vande Mataram
- Campaign dates
- August 9-17
- Circular date
- August 6
- Circular issuer
- Kerala chief secretary Bishwanath Sinha
- Centre's instruction
- Union culture ministry directed all states to sing Vande Mataram during the campaign and Independence Day celebrations
- Kerala's stance
- Only the first two stanzas will be sung at official programmes, per existing protocol
- Integration approval
- National Implementation Committee chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah
- Key voices
- K. Muraleedharan, Rajmohan Unnithan, Pinarayi Vijayan, Vinod Bansal, Rajeev Chandrasekhar
