Sonia Gandhi, Kharge’s 'gestures' during Vande Mataram trigger political row on Independence Day
Sonia Gandhi and Kharge during I-Day event at their party headquarters Photograph: (X)
Congress faces BJP attack after viral Independence Day video shows Sonia Gandhi, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi making gestures during Vande Mataram
A fresh political controversy erupted on Saturday (August 15) after a video from the Congress's Independence Day programme at its headquarters in New Delhi appeared to show party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi making gestures while ‘Vande Mataram’ was being rendered.
Rahul Gandhi was also seen making a similar gesture moments later. The footage quickly circulated on social media, with BJP leaders and other critics alleging that the Congress leadership was uncomfortable with the national song.
The video shows Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Kharge attending the Independence Day function alongside other Congress leaders and workers. During the rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’, Sonia Gandhi and Kharge can be seen gesturing towards people around them. Rahul Gandhi subsequently appears to make a similar gesture. The gestures triggered a political backlash, with critics claiming that the Congress leaders were asking workers to stop the rendition.
However, the visual footage by itself does not establish what the gestures were intended to convey. The Congress has sought to play down the controversy. Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said, "There is no controversy. Congress' high command or Jairam Ramesh will tell you about the party's approach. A later Congress explanation reportedly disputed the interpretation circulating online, with the party saying Sonia Gandhi was seeking a chair for Kharge during the event rather than objecting to 'Vande Mataram'. The controversy comes after Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively, did not attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day ceremony at the Red Fort. Their absence was attributed to concerns over protocol.
BJP vs Congress over Vande Mataram
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The latest row comes amid an increasingly heated political battle over ‘Vande Mataram’, particularly over the use of its complete version at official and public functions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly criticised the Congress over the issue, alleging that the party historically shortened the national song by retaining only its first two stanzas. During a recent parliamentary discussion, Modi accused the Congress of having ‘cut’ ‘Vande Mataram’ and questioned its handling of objections to portions of the song before Independence.
The Congress, however, has strongly defended its historical association with the national song. Kharge had previously said that Congress members went to jail chanting ‘Vande Mataram’ during the freedom struggle and argued that the decision concerning the two stanzas was taken collectively by several prominent leaders. The Congress has also officially described itself as having an ‘unshakable faith’ in ‘Vande Mataram’, calling it a symbol of India's unity and the freedom movement.
Why Vande Mataram is at the centre of the row
Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875 and later incorporated into his novel Anandamath, became one of the defining patriotic songs of India's freedom movement. Its first two stanzas were subsequently adopted as India's National Song. The longer composition contains additional passages featuring religious imagery, which have historically been a subject of political and cultural debate. The dispute has intensified this year as India marks the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. For the first time, the national song was scheduled to be sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort before the national anthem during the 80th Independence Day celebrations.
Kerala's Vande Mataram debate
The national song controversy has also spilled into Kerala. The state government's Independence Day instructions for schools focused on flag hoisting and the singing of the national anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana’, without specifically directing schools to sing ‘Vande Mataram’. The decision drew criticism from the BJP amid the wider national debate over the Centre's instructions concerning the song.
With Vande Mataram occupying a prominent place in this year's Independence Day celebrations, the Congress event has given the BJP fresh political ammunition. For now, the meaning of the gestures seen in the viral video remains at the centre of the dispute. While critics have interpreted them as an attempt to stop the rendition, the Congress has rejected that reading and offered an alternative explanation. The political battle over Vande Mataram is therefore likely to continue.
