Panaji, Aug 2026 : Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday questioned the basis of a complaint filed against party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over the rendition of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters, arguing that the version sung by the party has also been rendered historically by leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Kharge's remarks came amid a controversy over the Independence Day celebrations at the Congress headquarters, Indira Bhavan, in which the full version of Vande Mataram was reportedly sung despite the party's stated position that only the first two stanzas should be rendered.
During the celebrations on Saturday, Kharge unfurled the Tricolour at the party headquarters, following which Vande Mataram was sung. However, the rendition reportedly continued beyond the first two stanzas. Sonia Gandhi was said to have noticed that the singers were continuing with the longer version and reportedly gestured towards Kharge before appearing to ask the singers to stop.
The episode subsequently triggered a political controversy, with a complaint being filed before the Delhi Police on Monday against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The complainant sought registration of an FIR, alleging that the two Congress leaders had attempted to disrupt the rendition of Vande Mataram during the Independence Day programme.
Reacting to the complaint while speaking to reporters in Panaji, Kharge questioned why the Congress leaders should face legal action over a version of the national song that, according to him, had been sung by prominent leaders across India's political history.
"Well, look, what complaint will they file? We sang the same Vande Mataram that Mahatma Gandhi sang. We sang what Jawaharlal Nehru sang," Kharge said.
He further referred to the use of the song during the tenure of the BJP-led government under Vajpayee and said that the same version had been rendered over the years.
"For the last 18 years, we have sung what they sang, including what their Central government under Vajpayee sang. And for 12 years, as Chief Minister, he (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) also sang the same Vande Mataram that he has been singing all these years," Kharge said.
Questioning the legal basis of the complaint, the Congress president said that if singing the particular version constituted an offence, then historical figures who had sung it should also face similar action.
"If this is a crime, then they have been committing this crime for 18 years. If this is the same crime, then file a case against Mahatma Gandhi. If this is the same crime, file a case against Nehru," he said.
Kharge also pointed out that the Congress had adopted a resolution concerning national songs long before many of the party's present-day critics were born. He questioned whether decisions concerning national symbols and songs should be determined solely by the position of the government in power.
"Whatever you say, will it only happen? In the coming years, another government will come, so whatever they will say, that will happen only?" Kharge asked.
The controversy over Vande Mataram comes at a time when the Congress and BJP have been engaged in a broader political debate over the country's national symbols, history and freedom movement. The Congress has maintained that its position on the rendition of the song is rooted in historical resolutions and established practice.
Kharge also spoke about the issue of government funding and opposed the stopping of financial assistance to educational societies and other institutions. He said mistakes, if any, should be corrected rather than cutting off funding altogether.
"I have promised them that there are some things we can do, while for some others, we have to take the other parties into confidence. So, we will resolve whatever we can," he said.
Kharge added that the Congress, along with other political parties, was opposed to stopping financial contributions to educational societies and similar institutions.
"It is not good to stop the funding. If any mistake is there, then correct it," he said.
He further alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was among the biggest beneficiaries of funding and argued that financial assistance should not be halted as a blanket measure merely because irregularities were suspected.
The Vande Mataram controversy is now likely to remain a political flashpoint, with the complaint against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi adding another dimension to the dispute between the Congress and its political opponents.
