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The singing of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters on Independence Day has triggered a political confrontation, with BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accusing the Congress leadership of disrespecting the national song.

Trivedi demanded an apology from the Congress high command, while the Congress rejected the allegations and maintained that there was no interference with the singing of the song.

Sudhanshu Trivedi Accuses Congress Of Insulting Vande Mataram

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said Vande Mataram was first sung by the Constituent Assembly of independent India on the night of August 14-15, 1947.

He said, “The national song Vande Mataram began with the first Constituent Assembly of independent India on the night of August 14-15, 1947. The same Vande Mataram, sung by millions of people who faced lathicharge and bullets, and thousands who were hanged, was reduced to one-quarter by the Congress party's politics of power and greed for power, sacrificing it to appeasement and fundamentalist forces.”

BJP Questions Congress Leadership's Conduct

Trivedi said this year's Independence Day marked the first occasion when Vande Mataram was sung in its entirety, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve and the sentiments of millions of Indians.

He alleged that an objectionable scene unfolded during the singing of the song at the Congress office, involving Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.

“In accordance with the resolve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the sentiments of millions of Indians, this is the first Independence Day when Vande Mataram was sung in its entirety. However, an unfortunate scene was witnessed. While the Vande Mataram song was being sung in the Congress office, Congress Supreme Leader Sonia Gandhi, former President Rahul Gandhi, and current President Mallikarjun Kharge were seen speaking to each other in a very objectionable manner, expressing disrespect, and calling out to someone,” he said.

Trivedi further alleged that someone approached the Congress leaders during the singing and that they gestured to one another.

“During the singing of Vande Mataram, someone came and told them something, and they were also gesturing to each other. This is an insult to the national song Vande Mataram, which has deeply hurt millions of Indians. This shows that the Congress party may still not have fully accepted the national song Vande Mataram,” the BJP spokesperson said.

BJP Demands Apology From Congress

Trivedi called on the Congress leadership to apologise and explain its conduct during the singing of Vande Mataram.

He said, “We condemn this conduct of the top leadership of the Congress party and expect the Congress party to apologize to the country and explain why they behaved like this. If the Congress does not do so, then their true loyalty to the Constitution, their reverence for the freedom struggle and their faith in the honor and dignity of crores of Indians are seriously questioned.”

Congress Denies Allegations

The BJP also alleged that Sonia Gandhi objected to the singing of all six stanzas of Vande Mataram during the Independence Day celebrations at the Congress headquarters.

The Congress denied the allegation, saying Gandhi was asking for a chair to be brought for party president Mallikarjun Kharge because he had been standing for a long time.

The Congress also maintained that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram were sung at the party headquarters.