A political row over the rendition of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi intensified on Sunday, with West Bengal BJP MLA Sumitro Chatterjee, a direct descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, demanding an unconditional apology from Sonia Gandhi.
Chatterjee alleged that Gandhi showed “discomfort” and made repeated attempts to stop the full version of the national song from being sung during the Congress’ Independence Day programme on Saturday. The allegation has been rejected by the Congress.
In a letter to Gandhi, Chatterjee said the reported incident was particularly distressing as the country marked the 80th anniversary of Independence. He described the alleged interruption as an insult to the sacrifices of freedom fighters and those associated with India’s freedom movement.
Chatterjee also referred to the historical significance of Vande Mataram, written by his ancestor Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. He highlighted its role in the freedom struggle and recalled its rendition at sessions of the Indian National Congress during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The BJP MLA alleged that Gandhi’s reported reluctance to allow the full song to be sung amounted to disrespect for the national song and demanded that she apologise.
The controversy began after visuals from the Congress’ Independence Day event showed senior party leaders speaking among themselves while Vande Mataram was being rendered. BJP leaders subsequently accused the Congress leadership of disrespecting the national song.
West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari also sought an apology from the Congress, alleging that the party was attempting to appease a particular section of voters.
The Congress, however, has denied that there was any attempt to stop the full rendition of Vande Mataram. The party has maintained that Sonia Gandhi’s actions were unrelated to the song and that she was merely asking for a chair for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
The row comes amid a broader political debate over Vande Mataram and its place in the country’s national life. The song, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, played a prominent role in the freedom movement and was adopted as India’s national song.
Chatterjee also cited the song’s historical renditions, including Rabindranath Tagore’s performance at the 1896 Calcutta session of the Congress and Sarala Devi Chaudhurani’s rendition at the 1905 Benares session.
The BJP has continued to target the Congress over the incident, while the opposition party has maintained that the allegations are politically motivated and based on a misreading of the events at its headquarters.
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