Kerala CM condemns students being made to sing RSS song onboard Vande Bharat Express
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday condemned the reported act of the Southern Railway making school students sing an RSS song onboard the newly inaugurated Vande Bharat Express from Ernakulam to Bengaluru.
In a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Vijayan said that the reported act by the Southern Railway deserves to be protested.
Visuals on TV channels showed students singing the RSS song onboard the Vande Bharat Express.
He said that including the song of the RSS, which allegedly constantly spreads anti-religious hatred and communal divisive politics, in the official programme of the government is a violation of constitutional principles.
Using the country's largest public sector undertaking, the Railways, by the Sangh Parivar for spreading their alleged communal political propaganda, is unacceptable, the CM said.
By sharing on social media the singing of the RSS song on the train by the students with the caption -- 'a patriotic song' -- makes a mockery of the Southern Railway and the Indian national movement, the Marxist veteran claimed.
The Railways, which served as the cornerstone of India's secular nationalism during the freedom struggle, is now supporting the communal agenda of the RSS, which betrayed the freedom struggle, Vijayan contended.
The inauguration ceremony of Vande Bharat witnessed the sneaking-in of extreme Hindutva politics, he said.
The CM contended that narrow political mindsets aimed at destroying secularism were behind the incident.
Vijayan said that the people should recognise this and protest against it.
The Southern Railway reportedly withdrew the social media post following widespread criticism against it.
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Jazeera likely to operate bi-weekly charter flights between Kuwait-M'luru via Dammam from April 8
Mangaluru: Kuwaiti low-cost carrier, Jazeera Airways will likely operate special bi-weekly charter flights between Kuwait and Mangaluru via Dammam starting April 8, 2026, sources said.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has reportedly granted permission for the special operations. The flights will operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays.
As per the plan, passengers will be ferried from Kuwait to Dammam by road, a journey of around six hours. The route will include a mandatory stop at the Saudi border for checks before reaching Dammam airport, from where they will board the flight to Mangaluru. A similar process will be followed on the return journey, with a stop at the Kuwait border for mandatory checks.
Flight J9 3417 will depart Kuwait at 8.40 am (local time) and arrive in Mangaluru at 4.10 pm IST. On the return leg, Flight J9 3418 will depart Mangaluru at 4.55 pm IST and reach Kuwait at 7.40 pm (local time).
Jazeera Airways had earlier operated special charter flights to Mangaluru during the global pandemic.
The airline is also considering increasing the frequency from two to four flights per week, subject to approvals from the authorities, sources added.
