
Vande Mataram verses spark Left-BJP clash at Kerala swearing-in
A political controversy has broken out in Kerala over the rendition of the national song “Vande Mataram” during the swearing-in ceremony held at Central Ground in Thiruvananthapuram. According to reports, V.D. Satheesan took oath as Chief Minister on May 18, followed by 20 ministers from alliance parties including the Congress and the IUML. The programme included “Vande Mataram”, the national anthem, and a Malayalam song. The dispute centres on claims that all verses of “Vande Mataram” were sung. Senior CPI(M) leader Mohammed Riyas said that officially only the first two stanzas are usually rendered, and argued that portions beyond that have historically been controversial and often trigger debates on constitutional freedoms and secularism.


































