BJP claims Sonia 'objected' to full version of Vande Mataram at event, Congress denies charge
The Congress asserted that there was no attempt to stop the singing of the full version of the national song and Ms. Gandhi was only asking for a chair for party chief Mallikarjun Kharge as he was standing for a while
On August 15, 2026, the BJP accused Congress leader Sonia Gandhi of objecting to the full rendition of Vande Mataram at the party's Independence Day event. However, the Congress denied the charge, stating that Gandhi only asked for a chair for party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who was standing for a long time. BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal termed the incident shameful, claiming that Gandhi's objection and questioning of Congress workers exposed the party's mindset.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh clarified that the full version of Vande Mataram was indeed sung on Saturday, and the decision to sing the initial stanzas was made by the Congress Working Committee in 1937. The BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya claimed that the complete Vande Mataram was sung at the Congress headquarters on Independence Day, emphasizing the new legal framework that grants status to the national song on par with Jana Gana Mana.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
