Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan Condemns RSS Song By Students On Vande Bharat Express

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday criticised the Southern Railway over reports that school students were made to sing an RSS song onboard the newly inaugurated Vande Bharat Express from Ernakulam to Bengaluru.

In a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Vijayan said the act “deserves to be protested.” Visuals aired on television channels reportedly showed the students performing the song during the train’s inauguration.

The Chief Minister described the inclusion of the RSS song, which he said “allegedly constantly spreads anti-religious hatred and communal divisive politics,” in a government event as a breach of constitutional principles. “Using the country’s largest public sector undertaking, the Railways, by the Sangh Parivar for spreading their alleged communal political propaganda, is unacceptable,” he added.

Vijayan also criticised the Southern Railway for sharing clips of the students singing the song on social media with the caption “a patriotic song,” saying it “makes a mockery of the Southern Railway and the Indian national movement.”

“The Railways, which served as the cornerstone of India’s secular nationalism during the freedom struggle, is now supporting the communal agenda of the RSS, which betrayed the freedom struggle,” the Marxist veteran said. He further asserted that the inauguration ceremony had seen “the sneaking-in of extreme Hindutva politics” and contended that narrow political mindsets aimed at undermining secularism were behind the incident.

Vijayan urged the public to recognise the situation and protest against it. Following widespread criticism, the Southern Railway reportedly removed the social media post.

According to PTI, the incident has sparked debate over the role of government institutions in promoting partisan political agendas.

(With inputs from PTI)