Kerala I-Day celebrations omit Vande Mataram; CM calls for pledge to build new-era state

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister V D Satheesan hoisted the national flag at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram and received the salute as Kerala observed the 80th Independence Day on Saturday.

No Vande Mataram song was played in accordance with the direction of the Union government at the ceremony. As the national flag was hoisted, flowers were showered from an Indian Air Force helicopter.

In his Independence Day message, the Chief Minister remembered those who lost their lives in recent landslides and floods in the state.
"The government will stand firmly by those families. As always, united as one, we will overcome any crisis. The government is devising a scientific system to face flood disasters. With everyone's support, we will implement it," he said.

Referring to the country's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and his vision for India's future, Satheesan said the people of Kerala too must take a pledge for a new era. He said the state would not compromise on secularism and democracy.
“There will be no compromise on secularism and democracy. Welfare measures are not charity, but a right. The youth are the country's real wealth. We must preserve the spirit of India,” he said.

Satheesan said the nation, the world and Kerala were passing through a very critical phase.
"This is the time to analyse problems with utmost precision, look into the future, embrace the new generation, and step forward with care," he said.

"Democracy is not about growing a single type of human being in a monoculture plantation, nurturing one language, one belief, and one lifestyle, nor is it about creating islets of hatred and dark corners of communalism that bend to every difference," he added.

Satheesan also reviewed the various platoons and received the salute from marching contingents of the police, NCC, NSS, Bharat Scouts and Guides and Student Police Cadets. Ministers received the salute at Independence Day ceremonies held in other districts.

The Kerala Assembly also held Independence Day celebrations, led by Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan. The national flag was hoisted to the accompaniment of the National Anthem.

Vande Mataram song missing from celebrations
The absence of Vande Mataram at the state ceremony comes amid a controversy over the Centre's directions on the rendition of the National Song during the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign.

The General Education Department's Independence Day circular to schools and other educational institutions also did not mention Vande Mataram. It directed institutions to hoist the national flag at 9 am or thereafter and sing the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana.

The Centre's July 9 communication had directed that the official version of the National Song be played along with mass singing during the unfurling of the national flag and at cultural or ceremonial functions other than parades. It also suggested that schools begin the day's work with community singing of Vande Mataram and make arrangements to popularise the National Song and National Anthem.

The issue triggered a political controversy in Kerala after Chief Secretary Biswanath Sinha forwarded the Centre's communication to departments. Chief Minister Satheesan had clarified that the letter only forwarded the Centre's instructions and did not represent the state government's policy or stand.

The CPM criticised the Congress-led government over the issue, while the BJP alleged that the state government had a moral obligation to implement the law concerning the National Song. The BJP also accused the government of being influenced by the Indian Union Muslim League, a key UDF ally. Kerala ministers had maintained that if Vande Mataram was included in any programme, only the two stanzas adopted by the Constituent Assembly would be sung.

Meanwhile, Vande Mataram was sung at the Red Fort in New Delhi for the first time in history as part of the Independence Day celebrations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described it as a moment of pride for the country and said the National Song was reverberating in the hearts of every Indian.