T’puram: CPM state secretariat on Tuesday expressed criticism over the recitation of the full rendition of the national song Vande Mataram during the swearing-in ceremony of the new UDF cabinet on Monday. In a statement issued on May 19, the party said the decision to present the complete version of Vande Mataram went against the position adopted earlier by Congress Working Committee (CWC) itself. It pointed out that portions of the song were omitted as part of an official resolution passed by CWC on Oct 30, 1937, and that the same portions that were removed earlier were included during the ceremony in Kerala. CPM also referred to the proceedings of Constituent Assembly on Jan 24, 1950, stating that only the first eight lines of Vande Mataram, as accepted in line with the 1937 CWC decision, could be presented as the national song. According to the party, certain portions of Vande Mataram reflected the beliefs of only one particular religion, and it was on the basis of preserving the inclusiveness of a plural society that those sections were excluded earlier. The statement alleged that the swearing-in ceremony included even those portions that were previously removed. The party further said that even after BJP came to power in West Bengal, the full version of the song was not presented during swearing-in ceremonies there. “The same song that was not rendered there has now been presented in Kerala,” the statement said. CPM said no action that could weaken the pluralistic character of society should come from the govt. It added that at a time when attempts to divide people on communal lines were becoming more active, no step that could undermine secularism should be taken by anyone.
