Now Reading: Hrithik Roshan reacts to BJP MP’s Vande Mataram dare to Rahul Gandhi
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Hrithik Roshan reacts to BJP MP’s Vande Mataram dare to Rahul Gandhi
The Story in Brief
Actor Hrithik Roshan has reacted to BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj's challenge to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to sing the full version of Vande Mataram if he wants to 'smash the patriarchy'. Commenting on an Instagram reel by Congress social media convenor Ruchira Chaturvedi, Roshan wrote: 'Huh? Is this real. Wow.' The comment has drawn over 12,000 likes.
The challenge dates back to August 2026, when Swaraj responded to Gandhi's speech at the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme in Pune. Gandhi had called for ending what he described as a patriarchal mindset that restricts women. Swaraj said at a media briefing: 'If you want to smash the patriarchy, I challenge you to sing the full Vande Mataram. I am very comfortable in singing the Vande Mataram in its entirety.'
Indian Express notes that in 1937, the Congress Working Committee recommended singing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at national gatherings, citing objections to religious imagery in later stanzas. Swaraj invoked this decision while responding to Gandhi's remarks. No further reaction has come from Gandhi or the Congress so far.
Update, 2 October 2026: Indian Express now also reports the story, adding historical context: the Congress Working Committee in 1937 recommended singing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, which Swaraj invoked in her challenge. NDTV and Hindustan Times confirm the same facts about Roshan's comment and the political exchange.
Indian Opinion Analysis
All three outlets report the same sequence of events: Swaraj's challenge, Gandhi's original speech, and Roshan's reaction, with no significant editorial divergence. NDTV and Hindustan Times present the story as a celebrity-entertainment item, while Indian Express adds historical context about the 1937 Congress Working Committee decision on Vande Mataram, which explains Swaraj's specific challenge to sing all six stanzas. The coverage is uniformly neutral-report in tone, with no outlet taking a stance on the political exchange itself. The story remains a social media-driven political aside rather than a substantive policy debate.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): ndtv.com (neutral report), hindustantimes.com (neutral report), indianexpress.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
