Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan on Sunday said Kerala would not comply with any direction to sing the full version of Vande Mataram, amid a political controversy over a state government communication referring to the complete rendition of the national song during the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign.
Speaking to reporters, Unnithan said he was not aware of any specific directive issued by Kerala Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha on the matter. However, he maintained that Vande Mataram would continue to be sung in Kerala in the manner in which it has traditionally been rendered.
“It will be rendered in the manner it has been sung till now. Nothing more will be sung,” he said. Stepping up his criticism, the Congress leader said Kerala would not accept the full rendition of the song under any circumstances. He said the complete version would not be sung “even if Narendra Modi threatens to shoot us down” and asserted that the state would not accept the full rendition “in this lifetime”.
The remarks have come amid a wider political dispute over the implementation of the 2026 Har Ghar Tiranga campaign and instructions concerning the national song. The controversy intensified after Kerala Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha issued a letter on August 6 outlining the state’s participation in the campaign.
According to the communication, the 2026 edition of the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign would be integrated with the third phase of the nationwide commemoration marking 150 years of Vande Mataram. The initiative had been approved by the National Implementation Committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The letter stated that physical events conducted as part of the campaign would include collective singing of Vande Mataram along with the hoisting or display of the national flag. Citizens participating in the campaign online were also encouraged to upload a “Selfie with Tricolour” on the official Har Ghar Tiranga portal.
The communication, issued following instructions from the Union Ministry of Culture, further stated that the Government of India’s directions concerning the recitation of Vande Mataram would be followed in full.
The Har Ghar Tiranga campaign is scheduled to be observed from August 9 to 17, with events being organised across the country to encourage citizens to display the national flag and participate in Independence Day-related activities.
The issue has triggered sharp political reactions in Kerala. The opposition CPI(M) has criticised the Chief Secretary’s communication and demanded that it be withdrawn. The party has alleged that the state government was yielding to what it described as the RSS agenda by issuing directions concerning the complete rendition of the national song.
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Unnithan also used the occasion to target Governors, accusing them of undermining democratic institutions. He alleged that Raj Bhavans had increasingly become centres of what he described as “low-level politics” and questioned the role of Governors in safeguarding constitutional institutions.
“So what justice can we expect from Governors? They all have turned into sycophants of the central government,” he claimed. The dispute over Vande Mataram has therefore become part of a broader political confrontation in Kerala involving the state government, opposition parties and the Centre over the implementation of the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign and the manner in which the national song should be rendered.
With the campaign continuing through August 17, the issue is expected to remain politically contentious in the state, particularly as Kerala’s ruling and opposition parties continue to differ over the Centre’s directions and their implementation at the state level.
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