BJP Youth Wing Protests Against Non-Singing of National Anthem in Kerala

In Kerala, the BJP's youth wing Yuva Morcha protested against the non-singing of the national anthem'Vande Mataram'during Independence Day. As part of this protest, activists burnt the effigies of Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V. D. Satheesan and Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Yuva Morcha activists took out a march to the Chief Minister's official residence'Cliff House'and burnt the effigy outside it. Initiating the protest, BJP state general secretary S. Suresh alleged that just as Jinnah had led to the partition of the country, Congress leader Satheesan was also adopting a Jinnah-like attitude under pressure from organisations like the Muslim League (IUML) and Jamaat-e-Islami. He said the national anthem was sung in other Congress-ruled states, but the Congress in Kerala did not sing Vande Mataram for fear of fundamentalists. Suresh said that'Vande Mataram'has a very special place in the freedom struggle and national consciousness. It will not be insulted at any cost and the Yuva Morcha in Kerala was protesting against the politics of Jinnah.