Kerala Governor raises concern over 'Vande Mataram' protocol in Assembly

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Friday expressed displeasure over 'Vande Mataram' not being sung in full in the state Assembly when he was present for the UDF government's policy address.

He said that proper protocol should be followed when the Governor is attending such functions.

Before and after Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar's policy address in the Kerala Assembly, a band team performed the opening stanzas of Vande Mataram.


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Speaking to reporters at Lok Bhavan after returning from the state Assembly, the Governor said it had been insisted that Vande Mataram should be sung in full whenever the Governor is present in the House.

He said that in the Assembly, the song was only played and not sung.

"Whenever the Governor is present, it has to be sung fully. It was not sung; it was only played," he said.

Arlekar added that he has already spoken to the Assembly Speaker, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, on the matter and expects the issue to be addressed.

"Let us see how things develop," he said.

Earlier, it was alleged by the BJP that the national song Vande Mataram was not sung in full in the Assembly when the Governor attended the policy address on Friday, with claims that this amounted to an "insult" to Lok Bhavan.