A complaint has been filed at the Urwa police station in Mangaluru, Karnataka, seeking action against Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi over an alleged gesture made during the playing of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’.
According to the complaint, during an Independence Day programme at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, ‘Vande Mataram’ was played before the flag hoisting. The BJP has alleged that Sonia Gandhi, along with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, signalled for the song to be stopped midway—an act it termed disrespectful.
The incident, the BJP said, was clearly captured on cameras at the venue, triggering a political row. The party has demanded that a case be registered under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh rejected the allegation, saying Sonia Gandhi has never opposed ‘Vande Mataram’. He claimed Kharge, who had been standing for a long time, gestured for a chair, and that the BJP had misinterpreted the moment.
BJP functionary Vikas Puthur, who lodged the complaint, said the party would approach the High Court if a case is not registered. He also asserted that ‘Vande Mataram’ is on par with the national anthem and accused the Congress of long-standing hostility toward it.
