2 publishers · first seen Tue, 10 Nov 2026 00:00 UTC · updated Tue, 10 Nov 2026 16:27 UTC
Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan sat down before the national song Vande Mataram was completed at a government event in Kasargod. Some other leaders and officials joined him, while several others remained standing until the anthem ended. The incident took place during the inauguration of a laboratory at the Mulleria Family Health Centre, a government facility, in this northern Kerala district. The minister and others reportedly tried to sit down after the first two stanzas. However, the song continued, after which they took their seats. The incident comes amid a debate over the Centre's directive to sing Vande Mataram in its entirety at official functions. The Congress has maintained that singing the first two stanzas is sufficient. Muraleedharan had earlier said that Kerala would not sing the full version of Vande Mataram and that government functions would include only the first two stanzas.
Content auto-generated. May contain inaccuracies.