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A controversy has erupted in Kerala after a group of school students sang a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) song during the inaugural run of the Ernakulam–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express on Saturday. The state government has ordered an inquiry into the matter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday virtually flagged off the train, and a video shared by Southern Railway showed the students performing the RSS song onboard. The clip was later deleted following online criticism, before being re-uploaded with an English translation. 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 Defending the students, the principal of Saraswathi Vidyanikethan Public School, Dinto K P, said the song was a patriotic piece and not performed at the behest of Southern Railway. The principal stated that it was not sung as directed by the Southern Railway but children chose to sing it themselves as a Malayalam patriotic song, news agency PTI reported. The principal added that the school had written to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Union Railway Minister after the video was removed. “We don’t know why did the state Education Minister has ordered a probe into the matter. We will think about going legal way if the General Education Department goes ahead with its action,” he said, adding that the students were being targeted online and called “Sanghi kids.” Kerala Govt Orders Probe Kerala’s General Education Minister V Sivankutty instructed the Director of Public Instructions to investigate the matter, calling it a serious issue. “Politicising children at government events and using them to promote the communal agenda of any group is a violation of constitutional principles,” he said. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly criticised the Southern Railway, saying that including an RSS song in an official government event violated constitutional values. “Using the Railways, one of the country’s largest public sector undertakings, to promote communal propaganda is unacceptable,” he said. BJP Defends School Children Meanwhile, BJP leaders, including Union Ministers Suresh Gopi and George Kurian, defended the act, saying the song was patriotic. Speaking to reporters in Thrissur, he said, “They felt like singing that song at the moment and they did so. Anyway, it’s not an extremist song.” The minister described the performance as part of a joyful celebration during the train’s inaugural journey. While Kurian, another union minister from the state, also strongly defended the singing of the RSS song and asked what is communal in a ‘gana geetham”. He also said those who try to propagate anti-India sentiments abroad may not like the song. Amid mounting backlash, the Southern Railway, while reposting the video on X, clarified that the students had performed their school song, not an RSS anthem, during the train’s inaugural run.
