Vande Mataram row: BJP, Congress clash over Sonia Gandhi's gesture at I-Day event

A political row erupted on Saturday over the rendition of the full version of Vande Mataram at the Congress's Independence Day event, with the BJP accusing former Congress president Sonia Gandhi of objecting to the national song and the Congress rejecting the allegation as false.

Video footage from the Congress programme at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi showed Sonia Gandhi appearing to speak to party workers while Vande Mataram was being played. BJP leaders shared the clip on social media and claimed she was questioning why the full version was being sung.

BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal said in a post on X: "The scene that has come to light today on Independence Day is utterly shameful. Sonia Gandhi's objection during the rendition of India's national song 'Vande Mataram' and her questioning of Congress workers as to why it was being played exposes the Congress party's mindset." He described Vande Mataram as a symbol of India's freedom struggle and national consciousness, and alleged that the Congress's approach reflected an "Emergency mindset".

Another BJP spokesperson, R P Singh, also targeted Sonia Gandhi over the controversy, questioning her alleged opposition to the national song.

The Congress dismissed the charge outright. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh asserted that the full version of Vande Mataram was sung at the programme and that there was no attempt to stop it. He explained that Sonia Gandhi was asking for a chair for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who had been standing for a considerable time.

Ramesh invoked the party's historical association with the song, citing a Congress Working Committee meeting in Calcutta on October 28, 1937, which was attended by Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Govind Ballabh Pant and C Rajagopalachari. He said that on the advice of Rabindranath Tagore, the initial stanzas of Vande Mataram were adopted for Congress sessions.

"Tagore gave the advice to Nehru and Bose that the first few paragraphs of Vande Mataram should be used. We have been singing those lines in every session since then. Our Seva Dal sings it, our workers sing it, there is no controversy over that," Ramesh said.

He noted that the matter had already been debated extensively in Parliament. "This was discussed in Parliament for 16 hours. We put forward our views. I narrated the whole history around it which the prime minister and the home minister did not know. I informed MPs of the context in which the Vande Mataram decision was taken," he said, adding that the full version was sung at Saturday's event and "there is no question of a controversy over it".

The exchange highlights continuing political friction between the BJP and the Congress over symbols of national identity. While the BJP has often accused the Congress of being selectively patriotic, the Congress has maintained that its commitment to the song and the nation is beyond question.

The video clip has become a flashpoint on social media, with supporters of both parties debating the incident. Neither side has provided independent verification of exactly what was said, and the matter remains a subject of political interpretation.

This report is based on statements made by BJP and Congress leaders and video footage shared by the BJP. The exact words spoken by Sonia Gandhi have not been independently confirmed.