NEW DELHI: The BJP has sharply criticised the Kerala government after national song Vande Mataram was not sung at its official Independence Day function, accusing the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) administration of “succumbing to pressure from extremist organisations.“Kerala BJP leader Shone George accused chief minister VD Satheesan of “surrendering to the dictate of Jamaat-e-Islami”, alleging that the chief minister had maintained an “illicit relationship” with the organisation and “anti-India forces” for the past year.“We were convinced of this. Because this is not new—for the past one year, the CM has had an illicit relationship with Jamaat-e-Islami and anti-India forces, both openly and covertly in Kerala,” he told reporters.Referring to the Kerala General Education Department’s guidelines, he claimed officials had indicated that singing the national song was not mandatory.“If an official has issued such an order, make no mistake, that official will face consequences,” George warned.George also accused the state government of attempting to “communalise” the song and discouraging its singing in schools, claiming this would “inject poison into young children’s minds”. He claimed that Congress ally Indian Union Muslim League is “controlling” the General Education Department and “influencing” the government’s position.Senior BJP leader PK Krishnadas separately accused the UDF government of having “completely disrupted” this year’s Independence Day celebrations and alleged that it had imposed a “complete ban” on Vande Mataram.
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He also questioned whether the directive had come from “the hubs of Jamaat-e-Islami, Social Democratic Party of India, or Popular Front of India”.Krishnadas alleged that the state government had “effectively challenged” Parliament and the Constitution by “restricting” the national song. “Therefore, this is not just anti-national, but also unconstitutional and illegal,” he claimed.He reiterated that the BJP would pursue both legal and political action against what he described as the UDF government’s “anti-national, unconstitutional stance.”(With PTI inputs)
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