Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday responded to the BJP’s criticism over his rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’, saying he sang the same version that had been sung by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Speaking to reporters in South Goa, the Congress president said that if singing the version was considered a crime, cases should also be registered against the national leaders who had sung it before him, news agency PTI reported.
The party accused the Congress of showing disrespect to ‘Vande Mataram’. Earlier reporting noted: BJP accuses Congress of disrespecting Vande Mataram in Goa The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) accused the Congress of disrespecting Vande Mataram in Goa, after allegedly insulting the National Song at its Delhi headquarters on Independence Day. He said India’s first President Rajendra Prasad had accepted Vande Mataram as the National Song on January 24, 1950, while Jana Gana Mana was declared the National Anthem.
The BJP had on Monday alleged that Kharge sang an “incomplete” version of the national song at a public meeting in South Goa. Kharge also said the BJP was not aware of the historical decisions taken by the Congress regarding the national song and the national anthem. “They don’t know that before they were born, the Congress had passed the resolution to decide about the national song and the national anthem,” he said. The Congress president said he had followed the version of ‘Vande Mataram’ that had been sung for decades. Earlier reporting noted: Responding to the BJP’s charge, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he sang the same version that was followed by national leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Earlier reporting noted: BJP MP and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, at a press conference, said the Congress had “compromised national symbols and the core values of its own freedom movement”.
Goa Congress defends rendition
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar also defended the rendition in a social media post. Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday (August 16) targeted senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for allegedly insulting ‘Vande Mataram’ during an Independence Day programme, demanding that she apologise to the people.
