Delhi Police on Monday (August 17, 2026) said it was enquiring into a complaint alleging an incident during the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ at the Congress headquarters on August 15. The complaint was filed at the IP Estate Police Station on August 16 by an advocate, seeking registration of an FIR against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. According to the complaint, the National Song was being sung during the Independence Day function when Ms. Sonia Gandhi allegedly made gestures after the initial portion had been sung.
The complainant claimed the gestures appeared to indicate an objection to the continuation of the song. It also referred to a video in which Mr. Rahul Gandhi was allegedly heard saying, ‘We are not singing Vande Mataram.’ The complainant has sought an impartial probe and appropriate action if the two leaders are found responsible. The BJP has accused Ms. Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge of showing ‘utter disrespect’ towards the National Song, a charge denied by the party.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, ‘It was seen that their supreme leader Sonia Gandhi, super leader Rahul Gandhi and sitting president Mallikarjun Kharge were not attentive when the National Song was being sung.’ He further stated, ‘Rather, they were casually talking to each other and even calling someone. This shows their utter disrespect towards the National Song Vande Mataram. It was a historic occasion, but a very ugly moment was seen at the Congress party’s head office.’ BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal said, ’The scene that has come to light today on Independence Day is utterly shameful.
Sonia Gandhi’s objection during the rendition of India’s National Song ‘Vande Mataram’ and her questioning of Congress workers as to why it was being played, exposes the Congress party’s mindset.’ He alleged that the Congress’ attitude towards Vande Mataram reminds people of the party’s ‘Emergency mindset.’ Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, ‘On October 28, 1937, in Calcutta, a meeting of the Congress Working Committee was held in the presence of Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Govind Ballabh Pant and C Rajagopalachari, and on the advice of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, they decided that the initial stanzas of Vande Mataram would be sung at the Congress sessions.’ Ramesh asserted that the full version of the National Song was sung on August 15. He also stated, ‘We have been singing those lines in every session since then; our Seva Dal sings it, our workers sing it, there is no controversy over that.’ Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s descendant, Sumitro Chatterjee, has sought an unconditional apology from Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi over an alleged incident at the AICC headquarters on Independence Day, where he claimed there was discomfort and repeated attempts to stop the singing of the full version of ‘Vande Mataram.’ Mr. Chatterjee said the alleged incident on August 15, as the country celebrated its 80th Independence Day, was ‘not merely unfortunate but a shameless repetition of a historical mistake.’ He invoked Sri Aurobindo’s remarks that the mantra had initiated the nation into the ‘religion of patriotism’, and alleged that the Congress’s ‘so-called dual policy’ was not new, recalling that in 1937, the party had ‘bowed’ to Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s objections and truncated the song that October. Parliament recently passed a law granting ‘Vande Mataram’ status on par with the National Anthem Jana Gana Mana.
The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was passed by a voice vote in the Lok Sabha on July 30, a day after it was approved by the Rajya Sabha.
