‘Can't Children Sing Patriotic Songs?’: Kerala School Asks PM Modi Amid 'RSS Song' Row

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that the "RSS song" sung by the students is a violation of constitutional principles and that the act by the Southern Railway deserves to be protested.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the Southern Railway for making school students sing an "RSS song" onboard the newly inaugurated Vande Bharat Express from Ernakulam to Bengaluru.

Source : X@GMSRailway

Amid the ongoing row in Kerala over school students singing an "RSS song" onboard the newly inaugurated Vande Bharat Express on Saturday, the school ivolved has now issued a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi clarifying the intention behind the performance. 

Stressing that the song was a traditional patriotic Malayalam composition titled "Paramapavitramathamie Mannil Bharathambaye Poojikkan," the school stated it contained no content that undermines secularism or national unity.

The letter concluded with a heartfelt query: "Our humble question is: Can’t our children sing a patriotic song that praises our motherland? Such actions discourage the spirit of nationalism among young minds".

Southern Railway Deletes Social Media Post

Principal Dinto K.P, in a letter to the PM, explained that Southern Railway’s official X account deleted a related post after two Malayalam news outlets criticised the song for being associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The school expressed the disappointment and hurt this caused among students, staff, and parents, noting their pride in the performance.

Reaffirming their stance, the school wrote, "The song contains no words or sentiments against secularism or national unity. It only expresses reverence towards Bharat Mata and pride in our nation".

Later, Southern Railway edited its post to clarify that the students had performed their school song during the ceremony, sharing another video from the event.

The students of Saraswathi Vidyalaya beautifully performed their school song during the inaugural run of the Ernakulam–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express pic.twitter.com/uvauXy9e6k

— Southern Railway (@GMSRailway) November 8, 2025

Political Leaders React Strongly

The incident drew sharp criticism from Kerala’s political spectrum and sparked a massive row in the state. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the student's singing and called the move "condemnable". He described it as "a violation of constitutional principles" and even issued a statement denouncing the choice to have students sing a song reported to be linked with the RSS on Vande Bharat train's first run from Ernakulam to Bengaluru. 

Chief Minister Vijayan’s statement argued that using a song associated with the RSS, an organisation he accused of promoting communal division, during a government function violated constitutional values. He further criticised the use of the national railway platform to allegedly further partisan agendas, calling such actions unacceptable.

Highlighting the social media fallout, Vijayan said that labeling the song as simply "a patriotic song" on official channels trivialised the issue and mocked the principles of the Indian independence movement.

Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal also weighed in, revealing that he had written to the Railway Minister demanding clarity on why students were asked to sing the controversial song at such a high-profile event.