Vande Mataram: Why BJP Is Targeting Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi Over Full National Song

The full six-stanza version of Vande Mataram was rendered at the Red Fort for the first time on Independence Day, marking 150 years of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s iconic national song. But celebrations at the Congress headquarters turned into a political flashpoint. The BJP alleged that Sonia Gandhi wanted the recital stopped midway and accused Rahul Gandhi of opposing the full version. Home Minister Amit Shah called the alleged incident an insult to Vande Mataram and its writer. Congress initially offered a different explanation before acknowledging Sonia Gandhi wanted the recital to stop. As the full song gains legal parity with the national anthem, the political battle over Vande Mataram shows no signs of ending.