New Delhi: The political storm over the rendition of Vande Mataram during the Congress party’s Independence Day celebrations intensified on Sunday, with the Bharatiya Janata Party filing a police complaint against Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi for allegedly disrespecting the national song.
The complaint was lodged at Mangaluru police station in Karnataka, while a separate complaint was also filed in Delhi by a lawyer over the same incident.
The controversy began after a video from the flag hoisting ceremony at the Congress headquarters surfaced on social media. The BJP alleged that Sonia Gandhi gestured to stop the rendition of Vande Mataram before it was completed, while Rahul Gandhi also appeared to signal that it should end. The party claimed the song continued only after those present insisted it be sung in full.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah sharply criticised the Congress, calling the alleged act “shamelessness” while addressing a public rally in Rajasthan. He said no one should even imagine leaving Vande Mataram incomplete and accused the Congress of insulting a song that inspired generations during India’s freedom struggle.
BJP IT department chief Amit Malviya also attacked the Congress leadership, alleging the Gandhi family had long maintained an uneasy relationship with symbols of India’s cultural and civilisational identity. Similar criticism came from BJP leaders across states, including West Bengal’s Suvendu Adhikari, who demanded an unconditional apology.
The Congress, however, firmly rejected the allegations. The party clarified that Sonia Gandhi’s gestures were unrelated to the national song and were directed at arranging a chair for party president Mallikarjun Kharge, citing his age and prolonged standing during the ceremony.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also hit back at the BJP, accusing its leadership of using the controversy to divert attention from more pressing national issues and dismissing the allegations as politically motivated.
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