NEW DELHI — Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has sharply criticised the Southern Railway after students were allegedly made to sing an RSS song during the inauguration of the Vande Bharat Express from Ernakulam to Bengaluru.
The incident, which occurred at a government event, has drawn widespread criticism, with Vijayan warning that such acts undermine the secular character of official programmes.
“The inauguration ceremony of Vande Bharat witnessed the sneaking of extreme Hindutva politics. Behind this was a narrow political mindset aimed at destroying secularism,” Vijayan said, calling for public protest over the incident.
Following his remarks, senior Congress leader K. C. Venugopal said he had written to the Railway Minister seeking an explanation on why school students were asked to sing the RSS song at the launch event.
As the controversy escalated, the Kerala government ordered an inquiry to ascertain the facts. General Education Minister V. Sivankutty directed the Director of Public Instruction (DPI) to conduct the probe and submit a report.
“Politicising children at government events and using them to promote the communal agenda of any group is a violation of constitutional principles,” Sivankutty said. “The DPI has been directed to immediately conduct an inquiry and submit a report.”
He added that the investigation would look into whether there were procedural lapses in involving students in the event and assured that appropriate action would follow.
“The government has a responsibility to uphold the secular and national values of the country, and steps will be taken to ensure these principles are protected,” he said.
Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan also condemned the incident, asking, “At an official function, children were made to sing the RSS gana geetham. Action must be taken against the school that allowed this. Who decided to use children for communal purposes?”
He added, “Official functions should not be politicised. If the RSS wants to sing its gana geetham, let its members do it themselves. How can this be called a patriotic song?”
CPI(M) leader M. A. Baby described the episode as a “challenge to democracy,” while Congress leader M. M. Hassan said it was “highly objectionable” that students were “forced to sing an RSS song” at a government event, urging strict action against those responsible.
Union ministers, meanwhile, have defended the act as patriotic, even as the Opposition and Kerala government maintain it violates constitutional values and the secular ethos of public institutions.
