Recital of full version of Vande Mataram at UDF govt. swearing-in in Kerala kicks up a row

The recital of the full version of Vande Mataram at the swearing-in ceremony of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala on Monday (May 18, 2026) has kicked up a row with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] calling it a move that undermines secularism and pluralism and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)’s mouthpiece Organiser hailing it.

In a statement issued in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday (May 19, 2026), the CPI(M) State secretariat said that the Congress Working Committee itself had taken the stand that performing Vande Mataram in its entirety of six stanzas was unsuitable for a pluralistic society. Parts of the song were trimmed as part of the official resolution of the Working Committee held on October 30, 1937. On January 24, 1950, the Constituent Assembly had clarified that only the first eight lines of Vande Mataram should be performed as the national song.

Vande Mataram and the challenge to multicultural nationalism 

“Some parts of Vande Mataram represent the beliefs of a particular religion. The change was made on the basis of the view that it is inappropriate for a pluralistic society to adopt it as the national song. Despite this, the excluded parts of the song were sung at the swearing-in ceremony. It should be noted that even after the BJP came to power in West Bengal, the entire song was not sung at the oath-taking ceremony. At a time when efforts to divide people along communal lines are active, no action that undermines secularism should be taken by anyone,” said the CPI(M) State secretariat.

An article in the RSS mouthpiece Organiser said that Vande Mataram reverberated at the swearing-in ceremony, “sparking both patriotic fervour and visible unease among some attendees”. “Even Rahul Gandhi was forced to listen to Vande Mataram during the swearing-in ceremony. The Congress had taken a stand against making the singing of the entire Vande Mataram compulsory. Another moment that drew significant attention during the ceremony was the reaction of several Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders during the rendition of Vande Mataram. It was clearly visible that there was a visible discomfort and unease on the faces of senior League leaders,” said the article.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president and MLA-elect from Nemom Rajeev Chandrasekhar posted on ‘X’ that questioning Vande Mataram is the “final desperate act of a decisively rejected CPI(M)” in Kerala. “Disrespecting India for political survival is not secularism. It is dangerous appeasement politics and pro-radicalism,” he wrote.

Hindu Aikya Vedi leader K.P. Sasikala and president R.V. Babu had also hailed the singing of the entire song.