Vande Mataram row: Amit Shah attacks Sonia Gandhi, Congress hits back, cases filed

Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for allegedly interrupting the singing of 'Vande Mataram' during an Independence Day event, demanding an apology from her, as the BJP organized protests nationwide against the Congress. Complaints were lodged against Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi for allegedly showing disrespect towards the national song at the party headquarters flag-hoisting ceremony the previous day.

In Rajasthan's Chittorgarh district, Shah claimed that Sonia Gandhi asked for 'Vande Mataram' to be halted mid-performance and urged her to apologize to the people and to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. The BJP alleged that opposition parties had allowed 'Vande Mataram' to become insignificant due to a desire for 'vote-bank politics.'

Several BJP leaders accused Sonia Gandhi of objecting to the full rendition of 'Vande Mataram' at the event, a claim the Congress refuted, stating there was no intention to interrupt the full version of the national song; she merely requested a chair for Congress party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who was standing for a while. West Bengal Chief Minister and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari denounced the Congress, claiming the entire state was outraged, particularly in Bengal where Bankim Chandra was revered as "Sahitya Samrat."

Shah also accused Rajasthan Congress leadership of internal disputes, predicting the party's decline in the state. The controversy followed the approval of amendments to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, which granted 'Vande Mataram' equal status with the national anthem. The Congress denied the BJP's charges, asserting there was no attempt to halt the singing of the full version of the national song, and Sonia Gandhi was merely seeking a chair for Mallikarjun Kharge.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera emphasized that Congress had championed the song of freedom, while opposition leader Ashok Gehlot questioned the hypocrisy of RSS ideologues who never sang 'Vande Mataram' due to British fears. Rajasthan's Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully accused police of detaining peaceful protesters who sought to voice their discontent with Shah's visit.