Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday said the UDF government was unaware that the swearing-in ceremony would feature the full rendition of Vande Mataram, as it was a decision by Lok Bhavan.
Responding to controversy over the singing of the full song during the oath-taking ceremony, Satheesan said the incoming government had not been informed in advance about the decision.
"We did not know that Vande Mataram would be rendered in full. The instructions came from Lok Bhavan. We realised it only when it began being sung in its entirety while we were standing there. It was not possible to interrupt it midway," the CM told reporters here.
The issue sparked sharp political reactions, with the CPI(M) questioning the singing of the full Vande Mataram during the swearing-in ceremony of the UDF Cabinet.
The Marxist party on Tuesday criticised the move, calling it an "incorrect step" and saying it was "inappropriate in a pluralistic society."
The BJP, however, hit out at the CPI(M), accusing the Communists of "insulting" the national song to "appease radical vote-bank forces such as Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI."
Soon after Monday's swearing-in ceremony, CPI(M) leader P A Mohamed Riyas raised concerns over the full rendition of Vande Mataram, claiming that officially only its first two stanzas are sung.
Riyas's remarks drew a sharp response from BJP MLA V Muraleedharan, who questioned which parts of the national song had troubled the CPI(M) leader.