"Afraid of patriotism and nationalism": BJP's Dilip Ghosh over Pinarayi Vijayan criticism over RSS anthem on Kerala Vande Bharat

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], November 9 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dilip Ghosh on Sunday hit out at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for the latter's criticisism over the alleged singing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh anthem by children during the flagging off ceremony of Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express.
Ghosh said that the Left parties are afraid of patriotism and nationalism, asserting that their "one world" ideology has failed. He mentioned that patriotic songs can be sung by people anywhere.
"Communists are afraid of patriotism and nationalism, and their ideology of a "one world" concept has completely failed. Anyone can sing patriotic songs people sing them in schools, colleges, universities, and even on the streets. What is there to fear in that? They keep complaining because they have nothing else to do," Dilip Ghosh told ANI.
On Saturday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the alleged singing of the RSS anthem after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express.
Vijayan termed it a "condemnable" act, stating that an anthem of an organisation known for its "communal ideology" is a violation of constitutional principles. He further alleged that Railways in the present time are being used as a tool to sneak communal ideology into official functions.
"The @GMSRailway making students sing the RSS anthem at the flag-off of the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express is highly condemnable. Including the anthem of an organisation known for its communal ideology and hate mongering in an official event is a blatant violation of constitutional principles. By sharing the video on its social media handles, the railway authorities have exposed how eminent national institutions are being subverted by Sangh Parivar politics. Once a proud symbol of India's secular nationalism, the Railways is now being used to sneak communal ideology into official functions. All secular and democratic forces must unite to resist this dangerous move," Kerala CM wrote on 'X'.
Union Minister Suresh Gopi was onboard the Ernakulam to Bengaluru train and stated that the other trains, which run from Mangaluru to Trivandrum, and the other from Kasargod to Trivandrum, have become a "roar" in the present time.
"Travel was a major concern for women. With the introduction of two Vande Bharat trains, one from Mangaluru to Trivandrum, and the other from Kasargod to Trivandrum, which ply twice daily, was a major revolution. Now this has become a roar. In phonetics, I can call it R.O.R. or the Revolution on Rails," Suresh Gopi told ANI.
Highlighting the importance of the Kochi-Bengaluru Vande Bharat train, he noted that many questions related to the commuting problems of thousands of entrepreneurs, health workers, and students have been answered with the introduction of Vande Bharat trains across the state.
"Vande Bharat is connecting Kochi to Bengaluru's KSR Station. We know the might of the twin commercial cities. A huge community, ranging from tens of thousands of entrepreneurs, health workers, and students, has their commuting questions answered," he added.
The Ernakulam to Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express is the state's fourth semi-high-speed train. The earlier include Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod, Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru and Coimbatore-Kochi.
Highlighting the importance of reforms in Indian Railways, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted that trains like Vande Bharat, Namo Bharat, and Amrit Bharat are laying the foundation for the next generation of Indian Railways, adding that now even foreign tourists are amazed to see the Vande Bharat trains.
Addressing the flagging off ceremony of four Vande Bharat Express trains in Varanasi, Prime Minister Modi noted that more than 160 Vande Bharat Express trains are now operating in the country and congratulated the citizens of the country on this achievement.
The new Vande Bharat Express trains will operate on the Varanasi-Khajuraho, Lucknow-Sarai Rohilla, Firozpur-Delhi, and Ernakulam-Bengaluru routes. (ANI)