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Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 8 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed the Southern Railways for forcing students to sing RSS’s “Gana Geetam” during the inauguration of the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, calling it a “gross violation of constitutional principles and secular values”.
The incident occurred during the official launch of Kerala’s third Vande Bharat train, which was virtually flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
The event at Ernakulam South station was intended to mark a milestone in Kerala’s rail connectivity, but it soon ran into controversy after the RSS-linked song – which Southern Railways shared as a “patriotic number” on social media – was identified.
Vijayan said it was “unacceptable” that a government function was used to propagate the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, an organization that “spreads communal hatred and divisive politics.”
He said that including the RSS anthem mocked India’s freedom struggle and secular national movement.
“The Indian Railways, which once stood as a pillar of secular nationalism during the independence movement, is now being used to promote the communal agenda of the RSS. This is an insult to the foundation of our republic,” the chief minister said in a statement.
He described the inclusion of the song as “a covert attempt to advance hard-line Hindutva politics under the guise of patriotism” and urged citizens to recognize and oppose such attempts to weaken India’s secular character.
The Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, flagged off from Varanasi along with three other new services, will cover the distance of 608 km in nine hours with 11 stops.
While the launch marked another milestone for Kerala’s rail modernisation, the controversy over the song has cast a shadow over the celebratory occasion.
Incidentally, after the controversy spread, Southern Railways has removed the pictures of school students singing the song from its social media accounts.
–IANS
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