BJP files complaint, Amit Shah demands apology over Vande Mataram

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused Congress leader Sonia Gandhi of asking to stop the national song Vande Mataram midway during the party’s Independence Day event at its headquarters in New Delhi. Speaking in Chittorgarh, Shah demanded an apology to the people and to the song's author Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, calling it an insult. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari also criticised the Congress leadership, and the party lodged a formal complaint against Sonia Gandhi at a police station in Karnataka, as reported by Rediff and NDTV.

The Congress denied the allegations, asserting that Sonia Gandhi was only gesturing for a chair for party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who cannot stand for long due to health reasons. A party spokesperson accused the BJP of creating a fake controversy to divert attention. The Federal and Mathrubhumi note that visuals from the event showed senior leaders speaking during the recitation, but Congress maintains no attempt was made to stop the song.

Separately, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar accused the Kerala government of deliberately omitting Vande Mataram from official Independence Day events, alleging influence from the IUML and Jamaat-e-Islami. He warned of legal and political consequences. CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam, however, demanded an apology from Congress for allowing the full rendition of the song, arguing it contains religious verses unacceptable to secular parties, according to Mathrubhumi.