Students sing RSS song at Ernakulam Vande Bharat launch, sparks controversy | WATCH

Kochi: A controversy has erupted after students were reportedly made to sing the RSS Gana Geetham during the inauguration ceremony of the Ernakulam–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express on Saturday.

The Southern Railway shared a video of the event on social media, captioning it as a “patriotic song.” However, several users and political leaders criticised the move, alleging attempts to “saffronise” a government event.

The incident took place during the local ceremony held at Ernakulam South railway station, one of several events organised nationwide to mark the virtual inauguration of four new Vande Bharat trains by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi.

Reports suggest that the children who sang the Gana Geetham were part of the inaugural journey of the train. The video, posted by Southern Railway on its official X handle, quickly drew attention and triggered backlash online.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Union Ministers Suresh Gopi and George Kurian, Kerala Industries Minister P. Rajeev, and other public representatives attended the Ernakulam event.

The controversy comes amid ongoing criticism from opposition parties over what they describe as efforts to promote RSS-linked ideology through official functions.