Kerala's Vande Mataram 'Full Version' Order Stirs Political Storm

With Independence Day days away, a directive from the Kerala government to render Vande Mataram "in full" has triggered a political storm, placing the Congress-led government under pressure from both the Opposition and its own allies.

The circular, issued on August 6 by Kerala Chief Secretary Bhishwanath Sinha, instructed that the complete song be performed as part of Independence Day-related programmes. The directive has reopened a long-standing debate in Kerala over whether the later stanzas of Vande Mataram, which some groups say contain religious imagery, should be sung at official events.

According to the Chief Secretary's communication, this year's edition of the Union government's Har Ghar Tiranga campaign has been integrated with nationwide programmes commemorating 150 years of Vande Mataram. The integration was approved by the National Implementation Committee chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. It is the specific direction to sing the song "in full" that has turned an administrative circular into a political flashpoint.

The CPI(M) has seized on the issue, accusing the government of surrendering to the political agenda of the Sangh Parivar. Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan questioned why a Congress government that claims to uphold secular politics would issue such a direction. The CPI(M) has historically maintained that the later stanzas should not be part of official renditions in a secular state.

The BJP and its NDA allies have consistently rejected this position, arguing that Vande Mataram is a national song and should be sung in its entirety. The debate is particularly sensitive in Kerala because several political formations, including the Congress, the CPI(M), and the Indian Union Muslim League, have long objected to the later stanzas, which they believe contain invocations and imagery associated with Hindu deities.

Initially, the state government sought to distance itself from the controversy, pointing to the involvement of Kerala Lok Bhavan. However, the Governor's office denied exerting any pressure, leaving the government to explain how the instruction entered the Chief Secretary's communication.

The Congress response, once the controversy erupted, was emphatic. Kasaragod MP Rajmohan Unnithan declared that only the first two stanzas would be sung even if Prime Minister Narendra Modi "threatens to shoot us." Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan also sought to draw a line, asserting that Kerala government functions would continue to follow the existing practice of rendering only the first two stanzas.

The Indian Union Muslim League, a key ally of the government, has voiced strong opposition to any attempt to make the complete rendition part of official programmes. Outside the ruling front, P Mujeeb Rahman, Kerala chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, said the government's position was not what people expected from the UDF and termed the move "protest-worthy."

The political battle has now extended beyond Kerala. In Delhi, Vishwa Hindu Parishad national spokesperson Vinod Bansal criticised Pinarayi Vijayan's position, arguing that Vande Mataram cannot be reduced to an RSS-versus-secularism debate. He invoked the song's association with India's freedom struggle and the inspiration it gave to generations of freedom fighters, and also referred to soldiers serving in the armed forces.

The episode highlights how Vande Mataram, a symbol of national pride, remains a point of political contestation in Kerala. The directive, intended as part of a national campaign, has instead become a test of political alliances and ideological positions ahead of Independence Day.