A controversy broke out on Saturday after a video showed Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge gesturing while the full version of ‘Vande Mataram’ was being played at the party’s Independence Day celebrations at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders alleged that the two leaders attempted to halt the rendition of the national song midway, prompting a swift clarification from the party.
The BJP’s Gujarat unit accused the Congress of “insulting” the national song. “For vote-bank politics, Congress has once again insulted Vande Mataram,” it posted on X (formerly Twitter). Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, “For vote bank appeasement; Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi attempted to stop complete Vande Mataram rendition. For hate of Vande Mataram, Congress did not attend independence day celebration at Red Fort.”
BJP IT Department chief Amit Malviya said, “For decades, the Gandhis and the Congress have displayed an uneasy relationship with the idea of a culturally confident, civilisationally rooted India. That discomfort stood exposed, ironically, on Independence Day.”
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh rejected the claims, saying the full version of ‘Vande Mataram’ was sung at the event and that there was no attempt to stop it. He clarified that Sonia Gandhi had merely asked for a chair to be brought for Kharge, who had been standing for an extended period, given his age.
On being asked about the full Vande Mataram rendition at Congress’ celebration, Congress party MP Jairam Ramesh told reporters, “The full version of Vande Mataram was sung here at Indira Bhawan today, and there is no controversy in it. There was no attempt to stop it. Since the Congress President was standing for a long time, Sonia ji was asking for a chair to be brought for him.”
Earlier today, ‘Vande Mataram,’ the National Song, was rendered during the celebrations at the Red Fort for the first time. An Army band played the tune of ‘Vande Mataram’ as the guests present on the occasion sang the national song. This was followed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisting the national flag, and then the National Anthem was recited.
The PM delivered a 75-minute address on the occasion, which was attended by various Union ministers, including Amit Shah, Kiren Rijiju, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and other senior government officials and military officers. However, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha leaders of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, respectively, skipped the event for the second time.