A controversy has erupted over a viral video appearing to show Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge gesturing during the rendition of Vande Mataram at the party headquarters in Delhi on Saturday, August 15. BJP leaders have alleged that the Congress leaders were attempting to stop the national song from being played in full during Independence Day celebrations. The Congress has rejected the allegation, saying that Sonia Gandhi was asking for a chair for Mallikarjun Kharge, who had been standing for some time.
The controversy comes days after Parliament passed a law extending statutory protection to Vande Mataram and making the intentional obstruction or disruption of its singing a punishable offence.
At the Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony at the Congress headquarters, the full rendition of Vande Mataram was played. Midway through the song, Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge were seen speaking and gesturing towards others, prompting allegations that they were unhappy with the song being played in full. However, the song was completed, and Kharge subsequently hoisted the national flag.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh denied that there was any attempt to stop the song.
“The full version of Vande Mataram was sung here at Indira Bhawan today, and there is no controversy in it. There was no attempt to stop it. Since the Congress President was standing for a long time, Sonia ji was asking for a chair to be brought for him,” the Congress MP said.
BJP leaders, however, criticised the Congress over the incident. Kerala's former BJP president K Surendran wrote on social media: “Vande Mataram is the emotion of our nation. Our freedom fighters never feared the British when they proudly sang Vande Mataram. Generations have carried that spirit forward. So, do you really think their descendants will be frightened by you?”
The national song, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, had remained controversial over its religious references. While its first two stanzas are an invocation of the motherland, the later stanzas describe the motherland using imagery associated with Hindu goddesses, including Durga, leading to objections by a section of Muslims.
Due to this, in 1937, the Congress adopted only the first two stanzas for use at political gatherings.
However, to mark the 150th year anniversary of the national song, the Union government earlier in January this year issued protocols requiring the six-stanza official version to be sung at designated government functions, including occasions involving the national flag and the President.
The Parliament subsequently passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, extending the provisions of the 1971 law to Vande Mataram. The amendment provides that anyone who intentionally prevents the singing of the National Song or causes a disturbance to an assembly engaged in singing it can face imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both. A repeat conviction carries a minimum one-year jail term.
Meanwhile, the Congress-led Kerala government did not play the Vande Mataram song during its Independence Day celebration. The Chief Secretary had earlier issued orders to sing it, as part of the Union’s Har Ghar Tiranga campaign.