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A demand by a postal employees union affiliated to the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) to include a song associated with the Rashtreeya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as part of a Christmas celebration event in Thiruvananthapuram Circle Office has triggered a row. The event scheduled to be held on December 18 has now been cancelled after protest.
The Bharatiya Postal Administrative Office Employees Union, affiliated to BMS and Bharat Postal Employees Federation (BPEF) sought permission to perform the song during the Christmas programme in a letter to the Director of Postal Services (Headquarters). The letter said the Union proposes to present a patriotic carol song as part of the programme “with the objective of instilling a sense of patriotism among staff members during the holy celebration of Christmas.”
“The proposed song is the same patriotic composition that received national attention when it was rendered by the students of the Vidya Niketan School during the inauguration of the Vande Bharat by the Honourable Prime Minister,” the letter said.
The students of Vidya Niketan School, run by an RSS affiliated organisation had performed the song titled Paramapavitramathamie Mannil Bharathambaye Poojikkan, (a song praising Bharat Mata sung during RSS events and considered one of the Gana Geethams). It became a controversy after the Railways shared the song through their social media handles.
The proposal by the postal union, however, met with strong resistance from employees, many of whom objected to the inclusion of an ideologically affiliated song in a religious celebration and refused to sing it. Following this opposition, the official Christmas celebrations were not held.
Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas has written to Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia protesting against the move. In his letter, Brittas objected to the demand raised by the union affiliated to the BMS, describing it as a serious violation of constitutional values and administrative neutrality.
Emphasising the religious nature of the occasion, Brittas wrote that “Christmas is a sacred religious festival for the Christian community, observed in India not merely as a cultural occasion but as an expression of faith, inclusiveness, and goodwill.” He argued that introducing an ideologically affiliated song into such a celebration held in a government office was inappropriate and insensitive.
The MP stressed that government offices are constitutionally bound to remain ideologically neutral. “Introducing RSS-associated content into a function, especially one linked to a minority religious festival, violates the long-established conventions of civil-service neutrality,” he wrote, warning that it could create “an impression of official endorsement of a particular ideology.”
Rejecting the union’s claim that the song represents patriotism, Brittas stated, “Patriotism does not flow from allegiance to any ideological organisation, but from fidelity to the Constitution of India, its secular character, and its guarantee of equality and dignity to all citizens.” He cautioned that equating patriotism with the symbols or songs of a particular organisation distorts the idea of the nation.
Referring to Kerala’s tradition of inclusive and secular celebrations in government institutions, Brittas said acceding to the demand would mark a dangerous departure. He warned that such an act would be seen as “a deliberate attempt to appropriate or overshadow a religious celebration with an unrelated ideological agenda” and could be perceived as an insult to minority faiths.