The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday accused Congress leader Sonia Gandhi of objecting to the rendition of the full version of Vande Mataram at the Congress's Independence Day event, triggering a political row on the occasion of India's 80th Independence Day. The Congaress rejected the allegation, saying Gandhi was not objecting to the national song but was asking for a chair for party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who had been standing for some time.

BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh shared video footage of the Congress event on X and alleged that the party's senior leaders appeared unhappy with the full rendition of Vande Mataram. "Mother, son and national president (of the Congress) seem to be upset by the rendering of full Vande Mataram," Santhosh said, adding that, in his view, "certain mindsets never change from pre 1947 to post 1947". The remarks referred to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Kharge.

BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal also criticised the Congress over the episode, describing the reported exchange during the rendition as "utterly shameful". He alleged that Gandhi had objected to the national song and questioned Congress workers about why it was being played. Agarwal argued that Vande Mataram was more than a song, calling it a historic symbol of India's freedom struggle, national consciousness and patriotism. He also accused the Congress of displaying what he described as an "Emergency mindset".

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The Congress strongly denied the BJP's interpretation of the footage. Party leaders said there had been no attempt to stop or interrupt the full rendition of Vande Mataram. According to the Congress, Gandhi's interaction was related to Kharge's seating and she was asking for a chair because the Congress president had been standing for some time. The party maintained that the BJP had drawn a political conclusion from an exchange that had nothing to do with opposing the national song.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also invoked the party's historical association with Vande Mataram while responding to the controversy. He referred to a Congress Working Committee meeting held in Calcutta on October 28, 1937, attended by Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Govind Ballabh Pant and C Rajagopalachari. Ramesh said the committee, following advice from Rabindranath Tagore, decided that the initial stanzas of Vande Mataram would be sung at Congress sessions.

Ramesh said the Congress had continued singing those portions at its sessions and through its Seva Dal and workers, arguing that there was no controversy within the party over Vande Mataram. He said the historical decision was based on Tagore's advice to Nehru and Bose that the first few paragraphs should be used. The explanation was intended to counter the BJP's suggestion that the Congress or its leadership opposed the national song.

The controversy comes in a politically charged context, with Vande Mataram receiving particular attention during this year's Independence Day celebrations. The full version of the national song was played at the Red Fort for the first time during the celebrations led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the rendition followed by the national anthem Jana Gana Mana. The year also marks 150 years of Vande Mataram, giving the song renewed prominence in this year's Independence Day events.

The BJP-Congress dispute over the Congress event therefore adds a fresh political dimension to the wider debate surrounding Vande Mataram and its historical place in India's national movement. While the BJP has portrayed the incident as evidence of the Congress's alleged opposition to the full rendition, the Congress has rejected that interpretation and provided a different explanation for Gandhi's actions. The competing claims are likely to keep the issue in the political spotlight beyond Independence Day.

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