Kharge defends Vande Mataram rendition, dares BJP to book Gandhi

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday rejected BJP allegations of disrespecting Vande Mataram by singing an incomplete version at the party's Independence Day programme. Kharge said he sang the same rendition historically used by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. 'If this is a crime, file a case against Gandhiji, Nehru, and Patel,' he told ANI, adding that the Congress had passed a resolution on national songs before the BJP existed.

The BJP had accused Kharge and Sonia Gandhi of talking while the national song was being performed at Congress headquarters on August 15. A video of the incident went viral, prompting the BJP to demand a public apology. Kharge, speaking in South Goa, also questioned the BJP-RSS contribution to India's freedom struggle and accused the Goa government of 'kidnapping' MLAs to form the government. He met state Congress leaders as the party begins preparations for the 2027 Goa assembly elections.

All three outlets report Kharge's remarks without contradiction. Times of India and Times Now focus on the political attack on BJP-RSS, while National Herald adds that Kharge included Vajpayee in his list of leaders who sang the same version.