New Delhi: The Vande Mataram row involving senior Congress leaders, especially Sonia Gandhi, is snowballing into a major controversy.
The BJP has attacked Congress relentlessly since a video of Independence Day programme at the party’s headquarters surfaced on Saturday. It showed Sonia speaking to Mallikarjun Kharge when the ‘Vande Mataram’ was being played, allegedly gesturing to stop the song.
On Sunday, Vande Mataram author Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s descendant and BJP legislator Sumitro Chatterjee hit out at Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia, saying that his family was “hurt” by her and Congress president Kharge’s conduct.
“Our family is very hurt by the behaviour of Sonia Gandhi. It’s disheartening for all Bengalis and the country. Due respect should be given to the National Song. More astonished what Mr Kharge did and stood silent. Sonia Gandhi does not know Indian culture,” Sumitro told CNN-News18.
The MLA from West Bengal’s Naihati Assembly constituency has written to Sonia expressing his anguish over the song recitation controversy. In his letter dated August 15, he described the attempted interruption of the full rendition of Vande Mataram as a “shameless repetition of a historical mistake.”
“Today, on August 15, 2026, on this auspicious morning of India’s 80th anniversary of independence, when all countrymen are dedicated to paying homage to Mother India, what transpired at the All India Congress Committee headquarters is not only unfortunate but also a brazen repetition of a historical mistake. The discomfort, displeasure, and repeated attempts to stop Congress workers as they sang the full version of Yugrishi Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s immortal work, ‘Vande Mataram,’ deeply distressed me. As an ordinary Indian citizen, a patriot, and above all, a direct descendant of the sage Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s family, I am writing this letter with deep pain, emptiness, and anguish,” Sumitro wrote.
“Today’s unfortunate incident has deeply hurt the sentiments of the people of West Bengal – I consider it my moral duty to inform you of this… I urge you in humble but firm terms to introspect and unconditionally apologize to all my countrymen, especially the people of West Bengal, for your behaviour. History forgives no one. A leadership that fails to respect its own freedom mantra is consigned to oblivion,” Sumitro added.
Sonia Gandhi got so angry listening to full Vande Mataram that she started shouting at the karyakartas, asking them to stop.
What’s the need to insult Vande Mataram like this? pic.twitter.com/9YsUGkyG3l
— Ankur Singh (@AnkurSingh) August 15, 2026
Country won’t forgive Sonia’s sin, says Shah
Union Home minister Amit Shah led the ruling party’s tirade against Sonia, saying that the Congress leader had committed a ‘sin’ for which the country will never forgive her.
Alleging that the Congress leadership showed utter disrespect to the National Song at the party headquarters in Delhi, Shah demanded an apology from the Opposition party.
“While the song was in progress, Congress leader Sonia ji asked the Congress president to stop it. We all watched this happen on TV. How could anyone even imagine leaving the singing of Vande Mataram incomplete? Congress members should be ashamed,” Shah said at an event in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh.
Shah claimed that the Congress’ reliance on votebank politics has made it forget the sacrifices associated with the national song.
“Thousands of people embraced the gallows, faced bullets and lathi charges, and endured years of imprisonment. If they have even a shred of shame left, they should fold their hands and apologise to Bankim Babu and to the people of the country. Sonia ji, the public is watching you. The people of this country will never forgive this,” Shah said.
Congress dismissed BJP’s charge that an attempt was made to stop the full version of ‘Vande Mataram’.
Sonia, according to her party, was merely asking for a chair for Kharge.