The newly sworn-in V. D. Satheesan government in Kerala strictly followed the Central Government’s directive by reciting all six stanzas of Vande Mataram during its official swearing-in ceremony on Monday.
The full rendition of the national song drew attention because the protocol had reportedly been omitted during the recent high-profile swearing-in ceremony of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, despite the presence of top Central leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had issued a directive on January 28, 2026, marking the 150th anniversary of the song. The order stipulated that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram must be sung in full before the National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana) at official government functions and school assemblies.
It is noteworthy that Vande Mataram was reportedly not sung at the swearing-in ceremony of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the ceremony, the Central directive was allegedly not followed there.
However, the Congress party, considered a political rival of the BJP, adhered to the directive in full during the Kerala ceremony, surprising political observers.
Earlier, Vande Mataram was also sung during the swearing-in ceremony of Vijay as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Interestingly, the rendition took place in the presence of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Previously, the Congress party had opposed making the full rendition of Vande Mataram mandatory.