The Congress on Sunday (August 16, 2026) strongly rebutted Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s charge that the party had insulted the National Song Vande Mataram , asserting that it has always respected the song and accusing the BJP of trying to manufacture a political controversy.
Congress General Secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh also launched a sharp attack on the Home Minister, accusing him of attempting to divert attention from more pressing issues. The fresh exchange came a day after a row erupted during Independence Day celebrations at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi, where Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi was seen gesturing towards party president Mallikarjun Kharge while Vande Mataram was being sung. Addressing a public gathering in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, Mr. Shah accused the Congress of disrespecting the National Song and demanded an apology from the party. Referring to a footage from the Independence Day function, he alleged that Ms. Gandhi had asked the Congress president to stop the song midway. Responding to the charge, Congress general secretary (organisation) K. C. Venugopal dismissed the allegation and maintained that the party’s commitment to Vande Mataram was beyond doubt. Speaking to presspersons in Kollam, Kerala, Mr. “For the BJP, everything is political. For us, it is emotional. What happened at the AICC headquarters was a communication issue. We are people who respect Vande Mataram . In a post on social media platform X, Mr. A man who orchestrated the Delhi Police’s brutalities on peacefully protesting youth. Such a man is now demanding an apology from the Congress to divert attention away from the real issues of the day and away from the colossal failures of his and his Sahib’s.
Ambedkar on the floor of the Rajya Sabha on December 17, 2024. A man who belongs to an ideology that did not see fit to unfurl the tiranga at its headquarters till January 2002. Earlier reporting noted: Congress insulted Vande Mataram on Independence Day, should apologise to people: Amit Shah at Chittorgarh rally The Congress insulted Vande Mataram on Independence Day, and should apologise to the people, Union home minister Amit Shah said at a rally in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, on Sunday, August 16.
“We all saw it on television,” Mr. Shah said, adding that Ms. Gandhi should apologise to the people of the country and to the “immortal soul” of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, author of Vande Mataram . He said thousands of freedom fighters had faced bullets, lathis and imprisonment for raising the slogan during the freedom struggle. Venugopal said the controversy had arisen out of a misunderstanding. The Congress has a clear stand on Vande Mataram , and you will understand it in due course,” he said. Ramesh said: “A man who insulted Dr. Earlier reporting noted: “The Congress forgot Vande Mataram out of greed for vote banks,” Shah alleged.
Earlier reporting noted: This came as leaders from Shah’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lodged a formal complaint against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi at the Urwa police station in Karnataka on Sunday, following a controversy during the recitation of the national song Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi on Independence Day.
