Kerala varsity VC: Vande Mataram critics don’t know who’s mom

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala University Vice-Chancellor Mohanan Kunnummal on Saturday, August 15, said those who do not say Vande Mataram do not know who their mother is.

He was speaking at an RSS youth meet, ‘Sankalp 2026 Yuva Sangamam’, held at Manivila here.

Addressing the gathering, Kunnummal said it was Bharat Mata who had entrusted children to their parents.

‘India is our mother’

“These children have been placed in your homes for a developed India. The responsibility to raise them into brilliant children and exemplary citizens lies with every male and female head of the household. I would say it applies even more to the female head of the household. Because as far as India is concerned, it is our mother,” he said.

He said this was why the country was referred to as “Mother India”.

“That is why when we pray, we say Vande Mataram. It is our mother. That is why we say and sing Vande Mataram. Those who oppose saying Vande Mataram are those who do not know who their mother is. But people who know who their mother is… people who understand what a mother is, will always say Vande Mataram. That is how it should be said,” he said.

Student organisations SFI and KSU have alleged that Kunnummal is attempting to implement the RSS agenda at Kerala University.

His appointment as Vice-Chancellor by the Kerala Governor has been questioned by the LDF and UDF, which have alleged that it is an attempt to “saffronise” Kerala’s education system.

The LDF and UDF have repeatedly raised allegations against university vice-chancellors, including Kunnummal, over their alleged participation in events organised by the RSS.

The state government did not recite Vande Mataram at its official Independence Day celebrations, despite a directive from the Union government.

In Kerala, the governor serves as the chancellor of universities and appoints vice-chancellors.

The previous LDF government had been engaged in a dispute with the governor over the appointment of vice-chancellors.

The current UDF government has also expressed displeasure over the appointment of some persons as interim vice-chancellors of universities in the state.