Published Sep 02, 2026 | 1:12 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 02, 2026 | 1:12 PM
Kerala CM VD Satheesan
Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan on Wednesday, September 2, defended the full rendition of Vande Mataram at certain government programmes amid the Congress’s strong opposition to the singing of all six stanzas of the national song.
The CM justified the move, saying the state was bound by an established central protocol when the President, Vice President or Prime Minister was in attendance at events.
Satheesan was responding to the criticism over the rendition of the full version of the Vande Mataram at the closing ceremony of the Kerala government’s Onam celebration on August 30.
According to the chief minister, the full version was rendered at the programme as part of the prescribed protocol as it was attended by Vice President CP Radhakrishnan.
“There is an established Central protocol for programmes attended by the President, Vice President and Prime Minister. The full rendition of Vande Mataram has become part of that protocol, and the state cannot alter it,” he said.
At the same time, Satheesan underlined that the state government’s position on the Vande Mataram issue remained clear.
The Congress, he said, had consistently maintained that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram should be approved and rendered.
“In state government programmes, we will follow that position,” he added, noting that the government had skipped it during the Independence Day function.
Meanwhile, the chief minister declined to comment on another episode in which the full rendition of Vande Mataram was played at a programme attended by the Governor, with two state ministers also present.
The government had earlier omitted the national song during the official state-level Independence Day function at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on August 15.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
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