Vande Mataram row: Congress denies insult charge, accuses BJP of diverting from key issues
The Congress on Sunday strongly rebutted Union Home Minister Amit Shah's charge that the party had insulted the National Song, Vande Mataram, asserting that it has always respected the song and accusing the BJP of manufacturing a political controversy.
The exchange came a day after a row erupted during Independence Day celebrations at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi. A video from the event showed Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi gesturing towards party president Mallikarjun Kharge while Vande Mataram was being sung.
Addressing a public gathering in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, Mr. Shah accused the Congress of disrespecting the National Song and demanded an apology. Referring to the footage, he alleged that Ms. Gandhi had asked Mr. Kharge to stop the song midway. "We all saw it on television," Mr. Shah said, adding that Ms. Gandhi should apologise to the people of the country and to the "immortal soul" of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, author of Vande Mataram. He noted that thousands of freedom fighters had faced bullets, lathis, and imprisonment for raising the slogan during the freedom struggle.
Responding to the charge, Congress general secretary (organisation) K. C. Venugopal dismissed the allegation and maintained that the party's commitment to Vande Mataram was beyond doubt. Speaking to presspersons in Kollam, Kerala, Mr. Venugopal said the controversy had arisen out of a misunderstanding. "For the BJP, everything is political. For us, it is emotional. What happened at the AICC headquarters was a communication issue. We are people who respect Vande Mataram. The Congress has a clear stand on Vande Mataram, and you will understand it in due course," he said.
Congress General Secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh also launched a sharp attack on the Home Minister, accusing him of attempting to divert attention from more pressing issues. In a post on social media platform X, Mr. Ramesh said: "A man who insulted Dr. Ambedkar on the floor of the Rajya Sabha on December 17, 2024. A man who belongs to an ideology that did not see fit to unfurl the tiranga at its headquarters till January 2002. A man who orchestrated the Delhi Police's brutalities on peacefully protesting youth. Such a man is now demanding an apology from the Congress to divert attention away from the real issues of the day and away from the colossal failures of his and his Sahib's."
The BJP, however, continued to press the issue. Earlier in the day, BJP leaders lodged a formal complaint against Ms. Gandhi at the Urwa Police Station in Karnataka over the events during the rendition of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters. A police complaint was also filed at a New Delhi police station.
The controversy has gained added significance following recent changes to the legal and administrative framework governing the National Song. In July, Parliament passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, which makes attempts to stop or prevent the singing or playing of Vande Mataram an offence. The legislation also accords the National Song a status on par with the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.
Both parties have drawn on historical and emotional associations with Vande Mataram, a song that holds a sacred place in India's freedom struggle. While the Congress emphasises its longstanding reverence for the song, the BJP has sought to project itself as the guardian of national symbols. The incident has reignited political debate, with each side accusing the other of exploiting the issue for partisan gain.
