‘Will sing only first part of Vande Mataram’: P.K. Kunhalikutty says it is UDF’s stance

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty has responded to the government order directing the full rendition of Vande Mataram during Independence Day celebrations. Kunhalikutty said only the first part of the song would be sung. He said this has been the policy of the UDF and the UPA at the national level.

Kunhalikutty said the Congress and the UDF have traditionally sung only the first part of the song. He was responding to questions from journalists about the new directive issued by the Chief Secretary to sing Vande Mataram in full. He said he would comment further after examining the details of the directive. He also said he would explain the UDF’s position after discussing the matter with the Chief Minister.

The Union Home Ministry’s new directive says that if a state has a state song, it should be sung first at official functions, followed by the national song Vande Mataram and then the national anthem. The directive also says that all six stanzas of the original Vande Mataram poem should be sung in full without leaving out any part.

The official duration for singing the national song is three minutes and 10 seconds. The national song should be sung correctly, with its lyrics and punctuation followed exactly. The Centre has asked all states to share the directions with various departments and institutions. Based on these directions, the Chief Secretary issued an order to sing Vande Mataram in full during Independence Day celebrations.

Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan had criticised the order, saying that singing Vande Mataram in full amounted to “submitting to the RSS.” He also demanded that the order be withdrawn.