Amit Shah slams Congress, but BJP had its own slip-up over Vande Mataram in Rajasthan

Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over her party's Independence Day function in New Delhi, asserting that the party dishonored Vande Mataram and that the populace would never pardon such an offense. However, just the day prior, it was BJP's Rajasthan state president, Madan Rathore, who found himself entangled in a controversy.

During a party event in Jaipur, a movie version of the national song was played, deviating from the customary rendition. Rathore, accompanied by several party leaders and MLAs, hoisted the flag at the historic Badi Chaupad in Jaipur on the preceding Saturday morning. Realizing his mistake, Rathore later apologized for the error.

Meanwhile, a BJP worker from the Minority Cell, Khalid Bandook, experienced a heart attack during the Jaipur event and was subsequently admitted to a hospital for treatment.

Interestingly, the Congress party's event at Badi Chaupad also faced glitches. The planned playback of Vande Mataram was abruptly interrupted by the National Anthem instead. As Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra and others witnessed the mishap, the National Anthem was prematurely halted after a few lines before the leaders proceeded to sing Vande Mataram instead.

The Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) penalized the sound agency responsible for the mishap on the Jaipur event by refusing to pay for the sound system and microphones used at the Badi Chaupad gathering on August 15, 2026. The JMC's Additional Commissioner, Narendra Kumar Bansal, threatened further punitive actions for any future negligence.

Reports of issues surrounding Independence Day functions surfaced across various regions in the state, prompting Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal, the head of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), to express his concerns. He highlighted instances where the BJP state president's event had an incorrect rendition of the national song, a BJP MLA hoisted the flag upside down in Nawalgarh, and Minister Suresh Rawat failed to salute the Tricolour following its hoisting in Bharatpur.

Beniwal questioned the competence of those who claim to uphold nationalism, asserting that a genuine respect for the national flag should be evident in their actions. He emphasized that the Tricolour belongs to all Indians, not any political party, and its dishonor or disrespect is utterly intolerable.