Vande Mataram row erupts at Congress I-Day event

A fresh political controversy erupted on Saturday after a video from the Congress party’s Independence Day programme at its headquarters appeared to show party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi making gestures that seemed to ask workers to stop the rendition of the national song, Vande Mataram.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was also seen appearing to follow the gesture moments later, triggering sharp reactions on social media and allegations that the Congress leadership was uncomfortable with the song being played.

BJP hit out at the grand old party, alleging that its top leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge showed “utter disrespect” towards the National Song Vande Mataram when it was being sung at the party’s Independence Day event, and demanded an apology from them.

Several leaders of the ruling BJP also accused Sonia of objecting to the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at the event, a charge that the Congress denied, asserting that there was no attempt to stop the singing of the full version of the National Song and Gandhi was only asking for a chair for party chief Mallikarjun Kharge as he was standing for a while.

Asked about the allegation levelled by BJP leaders, Congress chief spokesman Jairam Ramesh categorically denied that there was an attempt to stop the singing of the song’s full version. “As the Congress president was standing for a long time, Soniaji was asking for a chair for him,” Ramesh said.

Slamming the Congress, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “It was seen that their supreme leader Sonia Gandhi, super leader Rahul Gandhi and sitting President Mallikarjun Kharge were not attentive when the National Song was being sung.”

“Rather, they were casually talking to each other and even calling someone. This shows their utter disrespect towards the National Song Vande Mataram. It was a historic occasion, but a very ugly moment was seen at the Congress party’s head office,” the BJP Rajya Sabha MP told reporters here.

Trivedi demanded an “apology and a clarification” from the Congress and its leadership, saying people of the country are hurt by their “objectionable and deplorable act”.

Congress asserted that the full version of the National Song was sung on Saturday. “But today, at Indira Bhawan, the full version was sung; there is no question of a controversy over it,” he added. Asked about the row, Ramesh said, “On October 28, 1937, in Calcutta, a meeting of the Congress Working Committee was held in the presence of Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Govind Ballabh Pant and C Rajagopalachari, and on the advice of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, they decided that the initial stanzas of Vande Mataram would be sung at the Congress sessions.”

Last month, Parliament passed a bill that makes any insult to the national song a punishable offence. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was passed by a voice vote in the Lok Sabha on July 30, a day after it was approved by the Rajya Sabha. The law grants status to Vande Mataram on par with the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana.