Amit Shah has demanded an apology from the Congress after alleging that Sonia Gandhi intervened during the rendition of Vande Mataram at the party headquarters, calling the episode an “unforgivable sin”.
BY PC Bureau
August 16, 2026: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday criticised the Congress over the alleged interruption of Vande Mataram at the party’s Independence Day function, accusing Sonia Gandhi of disrespecting the national song and demanding an apology from the Congress.
Speaking at a public gathering in Chittorgarh, Shah alleged that Sonia Gandhi asked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to stop the rendition while Vande Mataram was being sung at the party headquarters.
“Look at their shamelessness. Vande Mataram was being sung at the Congress headquarters. During the rendition, Sonia Gandhi told the Congress president to stop it. We all watched it on television,” Shah said.
“Sonia ji, 140 crore people are watching you. This sin you have committed will never be forgiven by the people of this country. How can anyone even think of leaving Vande Mataram incomplete?” he said.
Shah called on the Congress to apologise to the people as well as to the memory of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, who wrote Vande Mataram.
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“Sonia ji, the people are watching. This insult to Vande Mataram is something they will never forgive. If there is even a shred of shame left among Congress leaders, they should apologise to the immortal soul of Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.”
— Union Home Minister Shri… pic.twitter.com/1kC4pa4C8Z
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 16, 2026
“If there is any shame left, you should fold your hands and apologise to Bankim Babu’s immortal spirit and to the people of the country,” Shah said.
His remarks came after visuals from the Congress headquarters’ Independence Day programme showed senior party leaders talking among themselves during the rendition. BJP leaders seized on the footage, accusing the Congress leadership of disrespecting the national song.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya alleged that Sonia Gandhi objected after the initial stanzas were sung and became “agitated” before asking for the rendition to be stopped. He also claimed that Rahul Gandhi appeared to signal that it should end.
The Congress rejected the allegations, saying Sonia Gandhi had not sought to stop Vande Mataram and was instead ensuring that the arrangements for the rendition were properly coordinated.
Shah also sought to connect the controversy with the Congress’s political strategy, accusing the party of having “forgotten Vande Mataram due to vote-bank politics”. Recalling the song’s place in the freedom movement, he said thousands of Indians had faced bullets, lathi charges and imprisonment for singing it.
“After 80 years of Independence, Vande Mataram was sung at the Red Fort and at all other places where the national flag was hoisted,” Shah said.
Shah was addressing the ‘Atal Gaurav Smriti Samaroh’ in Chittorgarh. He later unveiled a 21-foot statue of former prime minister and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Nimbahera on Vajpayee’s death anniversary.
Speaking about Vajpayee’s legacy, Shah said the former prime minister had taken several decisions that strengthened India, including making the country a nuclear power despite international pressure following the Pokhran tests.
Earlier, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said the country’s borders were becoming safer under Shah’s leadership and that Rajasthan was benefiting from various Central government initiatives. He also credited Shah with contributing to the fight against Left-wing extremism and the implementation of the new criminal laws.
