Protocol row as truncated Vande Mataram opens Kerala Assembly

Thiruvananthapuram: A row has erupted at the commencement of the 16th Legislative Assembly's inaugural session after the police band played an abbreviated version of Vande Mataram.

Sidelining an explicit directive from Lok Bhavan to play the national song in its entirety, only the first six lines were performed. Furthermore, the rendition was restricted to an instrumental music score without the lyrics being sung.

Reports suggest that the decision to truncate the song originated from Chief Minister V D Satheesan, who subsequently conveyed the instruction to the Speaker.

The legislative session opened with the maiden policy address by Governor R V Arlekar.

The address details a roadmap for various state government initiatives, prominently featuring the 'Indira Guarantees' championed by the UDF during their election campaign. This includes the highly anticipated rollout of free travel for women on KSRTC buses.