A huge row has broken out over the Kerala government's move to exclude the national song, Vande Mataram, from its official Independence Day celebrations on Saturday. The BJP has strongly condemned the Congress-led United Democratic Front, accusing the state leadership of caving to the demands of extremist groups.
The BJP said it will challenge the state government both legally and politically over the exclusion, describing it as a direct insult to the Constitution.
BJP leader Shone George, aiming at Chief Minister VD Satheesan, alleged the omission was an intentional surrender to radical elements.
"We were convinced of this. Because this is not new - for the past one year, the chief minister has had an illicit relationship with Jamaat-e-Islami and anti-India forces, both openly and covertly in Kerala," George said.
George said his party fully expected the patriotic song to be played at the ceremony and noted that the chief minister lacked basic courtesy to ensure its inclusion. Referring to reports that the state's General Education Department issued guidelines making the song optional, George warned of strict action against bureaucrats responsible for this order.
"I haven't received the order, but if an official has issued such an order, make no mistake, that official will face consequences," he said, adding that BJP workers are honoring the song across the state.
"Today, at this very time, we are raising our national flag while singing Vande Mataram at 15,000 centres across Kerala," he said on Saturday.
"If it is not sung, it sends a bad message. A very bad message to an entire generation, to the next generation. It conveys a very wrong message to the new generation in Kerala," George said.
He alleged the state government of deliberately trying to communalise the song to appease the Indian Union Muslim League, which controls the education portfolio.
Another BJP leader, PK Krishnadas, said the UDF government effectively ruined the spirit of Independence Day and insulted freedom fighters like VD Savarkar through a silent ban on the song.
Taking the protest online, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a post on Facebook said the Kerala government's actions were unforgivable.
"The Congress/IUML government in Kerala did not sing even a single line of Vande Mataram at the official state function. This makes one thing clear: It is not the CM and the Congress who are running Kerala," Chandrasekhar said.
