Shinde flags Lata Mangeshkar song played as Vande Mataram

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Monday called out an error at a Thane event where a private album track sung by Lata Mangeshkar was played instead of the official version of Vande Mataram. The event marked the end of a Marathi language course for cab and auto-rickshaw drivers from non-Marathi backgrounds. Hindustan Times reports Shinde urged organisers to ensure the Parliament-approved rendition is used at public programmes, emphasising the need to preserve the sanctity of the national song. Times of India adds that Shinde said the version played was not in the style and form approved by Parliament.

The incident comes amid a political row over Vande Mataram. The BJP has accused Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge of singing an incomplete version of the song at a public meeting in South Goa. Hindustan Times notes Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was also targeted over an Independence Day video where she was purportedly seen making gestures during the song. Kharge responded that he sang the same Vande Mataram that Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Vallabhbhai Patel sang, and challenged the BJP to file a case against them.