Gana Geetham in Vande Bharat: Will submit complaint to Union Minister, says Minister Sivankutty

NEW DELHI: Minister V Sivankutty said he will meet Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday evening and submit a written complaint regarding the incident where students were made to sing the RSS Gana Geetham at the flag-off ceremony of the Ernakulam–Bengaluru Vande Bharat train.

He said that singing an RSS song at an official event of the Government of India is a violation of protocol. No school will be allowed to take actions that challenge secularism. When schools are given an NOC, certain conditions are attached. If those conditions are violated, the NOC can be cancelled according to the rules. There will be no action against the children, the minister added.

“The principal said the Gana Geetham is a patriotic song. I don’t know where he got that information from. Political parties have many songs, but none of those have become patriotic songs. It would have been far better if they had made the students sing the national anthem,” Sivankutty said. He also clarified that the PM SHRI project will not be discussed in his meeting with the Union Minister.

Inquiry ordered
Minister Sivankutty said in Thiruvananthapuram that the Director of General Education has been instructed to conduct an inquiry into the incident and submit a report immediately. He said the government has a responsibility to uphold secularism and national values, and it will ensure that this is maintained.