Political Row Erupts Over Alleged Disrespect of Vande Mataram at Congress Headquarters

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has demanded an apology from Sonia Gandhi following allegations that she insulted the national song, Vande Mataram, during Independence Day celebrations at the All India Congress Committee headquarters. Speaking in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, Shah alleged that Gandhi asked the song to be stopped midway, an act he described as a sin against the people of India and the spirit of the song's author, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. The controversy follows the recent passage of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, which grants Vande Mataram status on par with the national anthem and makes attempts to prevent its singing a punishable offence.

The Congress party has strongly denied the allegations. Party representatives stated that the full version of the song was played and that Gandhi was merely gesturing to request a chair for party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who had been standing. Congress leaders, including K. C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, characterized the accusations as a political diversion intended to distract from government failures and national security issues. Meanwhile, BJP leaders have filed formal police complaints against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi and Karnataka.

The dispute has expanded into regional political conflicts. In Kerala, the BJP criticized the Congress led United Democratic Front government for skipping the rendition of Vande Mataram during its own Independence Day functions. Simultaneously, the Communist Party of India questioned the Congress for playing the full version of the song at its headquarters, suggesting a lack of ideological clarity. Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy stated that while the law regarding the song must be followed, the ongoing discussion and questions surrounding the incident are unnecessary.