Kozhikode: P A Mohammed Riyas MLA, CPM leader and former Kerala Minister, on Monday criticised the newly sworn-in UDF government over the rendition of the full version of Vande Mataram during the oath-taking ceremony.

In a social media post, Riyas expressed concern over the complete rendition of the national song, stating that officially, only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram are generally accepted and commonly sung.

He noted that some of the later parts of the song had historically sparked controversy and concern. According to him, attempts to make Vande Mataram compulsory in various states, both before and after Independence, had triggered debates, with several organisations and civil rights activists arguing that mandatory rendition could affect constitutional freedoms and secularism.

Referring to recent Supreme Court observations, Riyas said the Centre’s direction regarding the singing of Vande Mataram is only advisory for states, not mandatory, and that there are no punitive measures for non-compliance.

He further said that while the new government had intervened to revise several procedural directives related to the ceremony from the side of Lok Bhavan, similar attention should have been given to the issue of singing the full version of Vande Mataram.

Riyas urged the government to adopt approaches that align more closely with the country’s secular and pluralistic values. He also said that his criticism should not be portrayed as blind opposition merely because it came from a Left MLA, and hoped the discussion would focus on the constitutional merit of the concerns raised. “If the new government ensures inclusive governance and undertakes actions that strengthen democratic values, it will receive support,” he added.

The full version of Vande Mataram was sung at both the beginning and conclusion of the oath-taking ceremony, along with the National Anthem.

The issue has previously triggered political debate in other states as well. During the oath-taking ceremony of the TVK government in Tamil Nadu, the singing of Vande Mataram had drawn criticism from CPI leaders, who argued that the official Tamil Nadu state song, Tamil Thai Vazhthu, should have been sung first.