BJP General Secretary Smriti Irani on Sunday demanded that Rahul Gandhi first support the implementation of women’s reservation in the country.
She said that if Gandhi genuinely supports women, he should prove it by backing the implementation of 33% reservation and singing the complete version of Vande Mataram.
Irani also demanded that the entire Vande Mataram, including the verses invoking Goddess Durga, be sung at the Congress headquarters.
The 33% women’s reservation law, which provides for greater representation of women in Parliament and state assemblies, has already been passed by Parliament.
Irani’s remarks came after Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatraon Ki Goonj’ event in Pune, where he urged young women to challenge and end patriarchy.
Rahul Gandhi urged women to end patriarchy
Rahul Gandhi spoke to girl students on Saturday at the AISSMS (All India Shri Shivaji Memorial Society) College Ground in Pune.
Rahul Gandhi spoke to female students at his ‘Chhatraon Ki Goonj’ event in Pune on Saturday. He urged them to ‘end patriarchy’ and criticised what he called the ‘Manusmriti mindset’.
Gandhi said this mindset forces women to live under the authority of male relatives at different stages of their lives. He also claimed that violence is used in society to prevent women from progressing and that 80% of women face harassment.
Congress says it will sing only two stanzas of Vande Mataram
The Congress has clarified its position on Vande Mataram. On August 19, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said the party would follow the decision taken at the 1937 Congress session, under which only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram would be sung at party events.
Venugopal said Vande Mataram and the national anthem are matters of emotion for the Congress, whereas the BJP treats them as political issues.
The Constituent Assembly accorded Vande Mataram the status of India’s national song in 1950. The song has six stanzas in total.
BJP claims Vande Mataram was stopped at Congress headquarters
A controversy has erupted over the singing of Vande Mataram during the Independence Day celebrations at the Congress headquarters on August 15. The BJP has alleged that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress president attempted to stop the song.
According to the BJP, Vande Mataram was being sung when Sonia Gandhi turned around and made a gesture. Rahul Gandhi also gestured and appeared to ask something.
Vande Mataram was being sung, when Sonia turned back and gestured. Rahul also gestured and asked something.
A staff member approached party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Kharge whispered something into his ear, and Sonia then spoke to him.
2026 Law made against insulting Vande Mataram
The Constituent Assembly declared ‘Vande Mataram’ as the national song on January 24, 1950. For a long time, there was no separate law prohibiting insults to it, but in the 2026 monsoon session, the central government enacted the ‘Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act’.
Under this law, intentionally preventing, obstructing, or publicly insulting the singing of “Vande Mataram” is a punishable offense. Such acts are punishable by up to three years in prison, a fine, or both.
This time, for the first time, during the Independence Day celebrations on 15th August, the entire 6 verses of ‘Vande Mataram’ were sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
