Kasaragod MP Unnithan said that while he was unaware of any direction by the Chief Secretary for the complete rendition of the national song, it will not be sung in full "even if Narendra Modi threatens to shoot us down".
"We cannot accept the full rendition of the Vande Mataram. Not in this lifetime… It will be rendered in the manner it has been sung till now. Nothing more will be sung," he reportedly asserted.
He alleged that Raj Bhavans have become hubs of "low-level politics and Governors are now working to sabotage democracy with money power".
"So what justice can we expect from Governors? They all have turned into sycophants of the central government," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.
The Congress leader’s response comes in the wake of an August 6 letter by Kerala Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha. The letter stated that the 2026 edition of the campaign, launched in 2022 under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, had been integrated with the third phase of the nationwide commemoration of 150 years of the national song Vande Mataram, as approved by the National Implementation Committee chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Accordingly, all physical celebrations during the period would combine collective singing of Vande Mataram with the hoisting or display of the National Flag, while digital participation would be routed through the "Har Ghar Tiranga" portal, where citizens could upload their "Selfie with Tricolour", the letter said.
The letter was issued following a communication from the Union Ministry of Culture regarding the *Har Ghar Tiranga* campaign, which will be observed from August 9 to 17 this year.
It also stated that the Government of India's instructions regarding the recitation of Vande Mataram would be followed in full.
The opposition CPI(M) has criticised the issuance of the letter directing full rendition of the national song and demanded its withdrawal. It also alleged that the state government was surrendering to the RSS agenda by issuing such directions.
