Following Opposition allegations of toeing RSS line, UDF government appears to walk back on Vande Mataram directive
Although the Chief Minister’s office is yet to make an official clarification or withdraw the directive, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan says only the first two stanzas will be sung in the State government’s programmes
Allegations of the United Democratic Front (UDF) government aligning with the Sangh Parivar surfaced following the directive given to government departments to ensure the entirety of Vande Mataram being recited during Independence Day celebrations. Despite the Chief Secretary's directive on August 6, 2026, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan clarified to the media on August 9, 2026, that only the first two stanzas would be sung in state programs, attributing this to possible Union government directives.
However, Lok Bhavan, a purported source of the directive, denied issuing any. The LDF accused the UDF government of "surrendering completely" to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) agenda. The controversy is part of a pattern of decisions by the UDF government that have been criticized for following a pro-Sangh Parivar line. The Union Ministry of Culture had communicated the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign would be observed from August 9-17, 2026, integrating Vande Mataram recital with the national flag-hoisting.
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