Kharge's Vande Mataram dare to BJP: Slap case on Gandhi, Nehru

NEW DELHI: Congress and BJP clashed over the national song Vande Mataram on Tuesday, with opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge defiantly asserting his party would limit the rendition to just two stanzas, despite a recent law mandating the singing of all six stanzas. BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad criticized the Congress for curbing the song due to Muslim hardliners' concerns, arguing that only two stanzas were sung by independence icons like Gandhi, Nehru, and Patel.

Kharge countered that if the BJP claims to be the sole guardian of the freedom movement, then figures like Gandhi, Nehru, and Patel should also be held accountable for their part in the controversy. The incident arose following BJP's objection to Kharge's singing of Vande Mataram during a Goa event, and similar accusations were made against former Congress president Sonia Gandhi during the party's Independence Day celebration.

Vande Mataram gained national prominence after the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was passed in Parliament, mandating the singing of all six stanzas to commemorate the song's 150th anniversary. Kharge pointed out that Congress had formally recognized Vande Mataram as the national song before the BJP came into existence.

Prasad emphasized that Rajendra Prasad, the first president and head of the Constituent Assembly, played a crucial role in declaring Vande Mataram as the national song. A party meeting is set to finalize Congress' stance on the matter.