Politics
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Shah and Congress clash over Vande Mataram at AICC
Times of India··17 Aug
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Sonia Gandhi asked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to stop Vande Mataram at the AICC headquarters on Independence Day. He called the act a sin that people would not forgive and asked the party to apologise to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Congress said she was gesturing for a chair for Kharge.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you watched Congress headquarters on 15 August, Shah says Sonia Gandhi stopped Vande Mataram midway; Congress says she asked for a chair for Mallikarjun Kharge.
- Listeners of the national song's 150th-year events can note it was also performed at the Red Fort the same morning.
- Anyone following the new national-honour amendment can see that law, passed in July 2026, now treats Vande Mataram on a par with Jana Gana Mana.
What's Happening
- On 16 August in Chittorgarh, Amit Shah alleged that Sonia Gandhi told the Congress president to stop Vande Mataram at the AICC event.
- Congress leaders said the gesture concerned seating for Kharge, who is unwell, and denied any order to halt the song.
- Jairam Ramesh said the Home Minister was seeking an apology to divert attention from other issues.
Bankim, The Fort And The Amendment
- Vande Mataram was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay; Shah asked Congress to apologise to his 'immortal spirit' as well as to the public.
- This Independence Day was the first time the song was rendered from the Red Fort on 15 August.
- The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, cleared both Houses in July and aligns legal protection of the national song with the anthem.
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