The BJP has accused Sonia Gandhi of objecting to the full rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’, sharing a video from the Congress’ Independence Day programme. The Congress rejected the allegation, saying Sonia Gandhi was merely asking for a chair for party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who had been standing for a long time.
BJP leaders alleged that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi tried to stop the full rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh rejected the claim, saying the full version was sung at Indira Bhawan on Saturday and no attempt was made to stop it.
BJP makes accusation after sharing video
BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santosh shared a video of the Congress programme on X. He wrote that “the mother, son and Congress national president” appeared disturbed by the singing of the full version of ‘Vande Mataram’.
He added, “Some mindsets never change, neither before 1947 nor after 1947.”
BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal called the incident “extremely shameful”, alleging that Sonia Gandhi objected to the rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’ and asked Congress workers why it was being played.
Agarwal said ‘Vande Mataram’ was not merely a song but a historical symbol of India’s freedom struggle, national consciousness and patriotism. He questioned whether the Congress was the same party that claimed the legacy of the country’s freedom movement.
He also alleged that the Congress’ attitude towards ‘Vande Mataram’ reflected the party’s “Emergency-era mentality”, adding that the people had rejected and would continue to reject such a mindset.
Congress says Sonia was asking for a chair for Kharge
Addressing the controversy, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said a Congress Working Committee meeting was held in Calcutta on October 28, 1937, 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.
He said it was decided, on the advice of Rabindranath Tagore, that the opening lines of ‘Vande Mataram’ would be sung at Congress sessions. According to Ramesh, Tagore had advised Nehru and Bose to use the opening verses of the song.
“Since then, we have been singing those same lines at every session. Our Seva Dal sings it, and our workers sing it too. There is no controversy over this,” Ramesh said.
He said the full version of the national song was sung at Indira Bhawan on Saturday. Rejecting the BJP’s allegations, Ramesh said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had been standing for a long time, which was why Sonia Gandhi was asking for a chair for him.
Ramesh said the issue had been debated in Parliament for 16 hours, during which he presented the historical context behind the decision on ‘Vande Mataram’.
“The full version was sung at Indira Bhawan today. There is no question of any controversy over this,” he said.
BJP leaders accused of vote-bank politics
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi tried to stop the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram for vote-bank and appeasement politics.
Bhandari said in a post on X, Congress is struggling with a mental Naxalite mindset.
BJP spokesperson RP Singh, taunting Sonia Gandhi, asked, “Why does Antonio Maino ji hate Vande Mataram so much? When Vande Mataram was being sung, Antonio Maino ji allegedly became so angry that she reportedly asked party workers to stop it. Why so much hatred for Vande Mataram?”
Provision for punishment in law for insulting the national song
Last month, Parliament passed a bill making insult to the national song a punishable offense. The ‘Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026’ was passed by the Lok Sabha by voice vote on July 30, a day after it received approval from the Rajya Sabha.
Under this law, Vande Mataram has been given equal status to the national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’.
BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said that for the first time, the complete Vande Mataram was sung at the Congress headquarters on Independence Day.
Malviya claimed in a post on X, “After the initial lines of Vande Mataram were sung, Sonia Gandhi became angry and asked to stop it instead of singing it completely. Rahul Gandhi also appeared to signal to end it. They were asked to let it continue.”
He said, “The message was clear that under the new legal framework, the entire national song must be respected. Deliberately obstructing or disrupting it could have serious consequences. Eventually, they agreed and Vande Mataram was sung in full.”
Malviya alleged that for decades, the “Gandhi family” and Congress have shown an uncomfortable relationship with the idea of a culturally confident and civilizationally rooted India. The BJP leader said, “Ironically, this discomfort came to the fore on Independence Day.”
