# BJP files complaint against Sonia Gandhi over Vande Mataram row 2026-08-16T14:45:20+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets BJP leaders have lodged a complaint against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi at the Urva police station in Mangaluru over her alleged conduct during the singing of Vande Mataram at the Congress Independence Day event. The complaint follows a similar one filed by two lawyers in Delhi, seeking an FIR against Gandhi for allegedly gesturing to stop the rendition of the national song. The Congress has denied the charge, saying Gandhi was only asking for a chair for party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. Separately, police in Kozhikode are probing an incident where BJP councillors sang Vande Mataram simultaneously with the national anthem during the Corporation's Independence Day function. Three complaints have been filed by the LDF, UDF, and BJP, each accusing the other of disrespecting the national symbols. No FIR has been registered in either case, with police seeking legal advice before proceeding. Last month, Parliament passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, making any insult to Vande Mataram punishable and granting it status on par with the national anthem. ## Coverage - deccanchronicle.com - timesnownews.com - thehindu.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-16T17:35:55+00:00. Tags: BJP, Delhi Police, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mangaluru, Sonia Gandhi, Vande Mataram Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/bjp-files-complaint-against-sonia-gandhi-over-vande-mataram-row/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/bjp-files-complaint-against-sonia-gandhi-over-vande-mataram-row/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/