Chaos at Kozhikode Corporation’s I-Day flag-hoisting as councillors simultaneously sing national anthem, Vande Mataram

The Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony at Kozhikode Corporation in Kerala took an unusual turn on Saturday when councillors from different political parties sang the national anthem and the national song, Vande Mataram, simultaneously. The ceremony, which began around 9.30 am outside the Corporation office near Kozhikode beach, saw the Mayor hoist the flag and deliver his address before leading the singing of Jana Gana Mana.

However, about 13 BJP councillors then began singing Vande Mataram, creating confusion and leading to a standoff between the two groups. The Mayor and other councillors completed the national anthem and departed, while the BJP councillors continued singing Vande Mataram. BJP councillor T. Raneesh later claimed that the party had notified the Mayor in advance about their intention to sing Vande Mataram, arguing that the simultaneous singing of both songs "disrespected both" national symbols.

Deputy Mayor S. Jayasree criticized the BJP councillors for interrupting the national anthem and pointed out that the Corporation had traditionally sung Jana Gana Mana during the ceremony, suggesting that Vande Mataram could have followed afterwards. The incident occurred amid a broader political debate over the Union government’s Har Ghar Tiranga campaign and the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, with the Ministry of Culture directing that physical events held between August 9 and 17 under the campaign include collective singing of Vande Mataram alongside the flag-hoisting.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Hindu's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.