Kochi: High political drama unfolded at Ernakulam Junction (South) railway station on Monday after BJP workers staged a sit-in on the event stage following the official flag-off of the augmented 16-coach Bengaluru–Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express, protesting the omission of the National Song, Vande Mataram, and the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, from the programme.
The protest broke out moments after Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi flagged off the expanded service at 2.20 pm. Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, Rajya Sabha MP Haris Beeran, Ernakulam MLA T J Vinod and senior railway officials, including the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), were present at the function.
The dispute over the omission of Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana at the railway event comes amid wider political debates at the national and state levels over the singing of the national song and anthem at official government functions.
After flagging off the train and boarding it, Gopi left the venue. BJP leaders and workers, led by senior leader CG Rajagopal, popularly known as Muthu, then moved onto the stage and sat down in protest. They raised slogans including “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and rendered both Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana from the podium.
Addressing the protest, Rajagopal criticised the railway authorities and demanded an apology. “Ahead of Onam, the Narendra Modi government gave this train as a gift to Kerala without them even demanding it. Without even basic courtesy, at an official government function attended by a Union Minister, the program was curtailed and concluded without rendering the National Song or National Anthem. Was this done because MPs belonging to parties with reservations against national songs were present on stage? We demand an unconditional public apology from the responsible officials; otherwise, we will seek legal recourse,” he said.
Rajagopal also alleged that the omission was a deliberate attempt to appease opposition representatives present at the function. He said Gopi had chosen not to create a scene at the venue “out of grace”, but BJP workers could not tolerate what he described as a breach of protocol.
Meanwhile, the Thiruvananthapuram Division of Indian Railways said the event had been conducted according to the pre-approved minute-to-minute programme. A senior official told Onmanorama that the function began with an invocation prayer, followed by the inaugural addresses and the scheduled flag-off.
The official explained that although closed indoor ceremonies strictly mandate the rendition of both the National Song and the National Anthem at the beginning and end of the programme, open-platform events pose different logistical challenges.
“At the moment a train is flagged off on an open platform, passengers are actively rushing, boarding coaches, or moving around. Playing the National Anthem in an uncontrolled crowd environment, where decorum cannot be guaranteed and people may fail to stand at attention, risks showing disrespect to the Anthem. Normal protocol was adhered to, but we will examine representations submitted regarding this,” said the official.
Vande Bharat capacity doubled ahead of festive rush
The political controversy came on a day when the primary focus of the event was the expansion of the Bengaluru–Ernakulam Junction Vande Bharat service.
The train, which previously operated with an eight-coach rake and a seating capacity of 530, has now been upgraded to a full 16-coach formation, increasing its total seating capacity to 1,128. The expansion adds 598 seats and is expected to provide relief to thousands of students, professionals and daily commuters travelling between Bengaluru and Kerala.
The additional capacity assumes greater significance ahead of the Onam, Pooja, Christmas and Vishu travel seasons, when demand on the Bengaluru–Kerala sector rises sharply.
Under the revised timetable, the train departs KSR Bengaluru at 5.50 am and reaches Ernakulam Junction at 1.50 pm. On its return journey, it leaves Ernakulam at 2.20 pm and reaches Bengaluru at around 11 pm.
Speaking before the flag-off, Suresh Gopi elaborated on the technical requirements governing Vande Bharat operations and the demands for extending services to other destinations.
He said operating a Vande Bharat rake requires strict adherence to a 24-hour maintenance cycle, running from midnight to midnight. This involves six days of operation followed by a one-day turnaround period.
Gopi referred to memorandums from Tamil Nadu seeking an extension of the service to Nagercoil, demands from Goa for services up to Kannur and representations from the Kozhikode Chamber of Commerce seeking an extension to Kozhikode. He said such extensions would be feasible only if the strict 24-hour maintenance cycle could be maintained.
He referred to recent reports of Malayalis being stranded in cities across north and western India amid heavy travel demand. Gopi said the focus should perhaps be on expanding the overall railway network rather than simply demanding more Vande Bharat services.
“Rather than simply asking for ‘more Vande Bharats,’ wouldn’t it be more logical to say that as a mark of respect to Malayalis, who account for the highest ticketed travel across India, every train should be converted into a Vande Bharat? In that sense, Vande Bharat has already transformed into a Himalayan mountain of our travel convenience,” he said.
