New Delhi, 16 August (H.S.): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Congress leadership over the alleged opposition to the rendition of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters on Independence Day and demanded a public apology from the party within 24 hours.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, party national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said that only people influenced by what he described as a “Naxal mindset” could oppose the national song. He also posed five questions to senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Bhandari demanded that the Congress publicly apologise within 24 hours for the alleged disrespect shown to Vande Mataram. He claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was the political patron of such an ideology. Referring to an audio recording, he alleged that it indicated Rahul Gandhi’s refusal to sing Vande Mataram. He further alleged that the Congress government in Kerala had also not included the national song in official programmes.

The BJP spokesperson said these developments, if true, would reinforce allegations that the Congress lacks commitment to nationalism and would also contradict statements made by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

Bhandari referred to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, and claimed that amendments made to the law in 2026 meant that deliberately opposing Vande Mataram amounted to a violation of Section 3. He also questioned whether Rahul Gandhi was fit to continue as the Leader of the Opposition.

Bhandari also criticised Congress leader P. Chidambaram over his recent remark describing himself as a “Dimagi Naxal.” He claimed that no top Naxal commander had been eliminated during Chidambaram’s tenure as Union Home Minister, while asserting that the Narendra Modi government had taken decisive steps towards eliminating the Naxal threat and ensuring the safety of tribal communities.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar