The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) accused the Congress of disrespecting Vande Mataram in Goa, after allegedly insulting the National Song at its Delhi headquarters on Independence Day.
He said India’s first President Rajendra Prasad had accepted Vande Mataram as the National Song on January 24, 1950, while Jana Gana Mana was declared the National Anthem.
BJP MP and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, at a press conference, said the Congress had “compromised national symbols and the core values of its own freedom movement”. He questioned the Congress president over only two stanzas of the National Song being sung during a Goa programme on Monday.
On ‘ dimagi Naxals’ , the BJP leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not named anyone but warned against those who intellectually support Maoism. He said the Narendra Modi-led government had eliminated Maoism in areas such as Bastar and Sukma. Earlier reporting noted: “Book Mahatma Gandhi Too”: Congress Chief On Complaint Over Vande Mataram Row “Book Mahatma Gandhi Too”: Congress Chief On Complaint Over Vande Mataram Row “Book Mahatma Gandhi Too”: Congress Chief On Complaint Over Vande Mataram Row Earlier reporting noted: A complaint was filed against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over an alleged attempt to disrupt the singing of Vande Mataram at Congress headquarters A complaint was filed against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over an alleged attempt to disrupt the singing of Vande Mataram at Congress headquarters Earlier reporting noted: Amid the ongoing controversies over the rendition of Vande Mataram at the party headquarters and then at party’s event in Goa, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday questioned the basis of a complaint filed against party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
“This is a democracy, and everyone has a right to criticise. But what is the basic principle of Naxalism? Power comes from the barrel of a gun,” Mr.
Responding to the BJP’s charge, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he sang the same version that was followed by national leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Prasad said.
Recalling the contributions of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, he said Vande Mataram was a major source of inspiration during the freedom struggle. He accused the Congress of abandoning its traditions for “vote-bank politics”, citing its positions on “triple talaq”, the Shah Bano verdict, and Article 370.
