Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty Orders Inquiry After Students Allegedly Sing RSS 'Gana Geetham' At Vande Bharat Flag-Off

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): Kerala's General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Sunday ordered an inquiry into the controversy surrounding the alleged singing of the RSS "Gana Geetham" by students during the inauguration ceremony of the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express service, as per the state education office.

According to the minister, the government views the incident with utmost seriousness. The Director of General Education has been instructed to submit a report immediately.

The minister stated that using students to promote political or communal agendas during government events amounts to a violation of constitutional principles. The inquiry will examine whether there were lapses in involving students in an official function and whether the platform was misused for political or ideological purposes.

"Protecting the secular national values of the country is the responsibility of the government, and we will ensure that," Sivankutty said. Based on the inquiry report, further action will be taken, he added.

On Saturday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the alleged singing of the RSS anthem after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express.

Vijayan termed it a "condemnable" act, stating that an anthem of an organisation known for its "communal ideology" is a violation of constitutional principles. He further alleged that railways are being used in the present time as a tool to sneak communal ideology into official functions.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's Tweet

"The @GMSRailway making students sing the RSS anthem at the flag-off of the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express is highly condemnable. Including the anthem of an organisation known for its communal ideology and hate mongering in an official event is a blatant violation of constitutional principles. By sharing the video on its social media handles, the railway authorities have exposed how eminent national institutions are being subverted by Sangh Parivar politics. Once a proud symbol of India's secular nationalism, the Railways is now being used to sneak communal ideology into official functions. All secular and democratic forces must unite to resist this dangerous move," Kerala CM wrote on 'X'.

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