Agencies | Mangaluru:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has filed a police complaint against Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, accusing her of allegedly disrespecting the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ during Independence Day celebrations at the Congress headquarters on Saturday.
The complaint was lodged at a police station in Mangaluru, Karnataka, following the circulation of a video on social media that purportedly showed Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge speaking to each other while ‘Vande Mataram’ was being rendered.
The BJP alleged that Sonia Gandhi gestured for the rendition to be stopped before it was completed. The party has described the incident as an insult to the national song and demanded action.
The controversy intensified after BJP leader Amit Malviya shared the video on X, alleging that Sonia Gandhi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had sought to stop the rendition at the Congress headquarters during the Independence Day celebrations.
Malviya claimed that Sonia Gandhi appeared “agitated” after the initial portion of the song was sung and allegedly indicated that the rendition should be stopped. He further alleged that Rahul Gandhi also appeared to signal that the song should end.
According to Malviya, the leaders were subsequently asked to allow the rendition to continue, following which ‘Vande Mataram’ was sung in full.
He also accused the Congress and the Gandhi family of having an “uneasy relationship” with what he described as a culturally confident and civilisationally rooted India.
The Congress has rejected the BJP’s allegations, maintaining that there was no attempt to stop the complete rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’.
The party said Sonia Gandhi’s gesture was related to arranging a chair for Kharge and had nothing to do with stopping the national song.
The explanation, however, failed to prevent the controversy from escalating, with BJP leaders continuing to target the Congress over the episode.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also criticised the Congress over the row, accusing the party of “shamelessness” while addressing a rally in Chittorgarh.
Referring to the incident, Shah alleged that Sonia Gandhi had asked the Congress president to stop the rendition while ‘Vande Mataram’ was being sung.
The BJP’s Gujarat unit also joined the criticism, accusing the Congress of insulting the national song.
In a post on X, the party alleged that the Congress had once again disrespected ‘Vande Mataram’ and claimed that the incident reflected the party’s attitude towards the national song.
The controversy has added to the political tensions between the BJP and Congress, with both parties interpreting the video differently.
While the BJP has portrayed the episode as a serious issue concerning respect for a national symbol, the Congress has maintained that the allegations are politically motivated and based on a misinterpretation of Sonia Gandhi’s gesture.
The incident has also reignited a wider political debate over ‘Vande Mataram’ and its place in India’s Independence Day celebrations, with the ruling BJP using the episode to question the Congress’s approach towards national symbols, while the opposition party has rejected the allegations as an attempt to manufacture controversy.
