'Look At Their Shamelessness': Amit Shah Targets Congress Over Vande Mataram Row, Says 'Sin Will Never Be Forgiven' | VIDEO

Chittorgarh: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Congress over an alleged attempt to stop the rendition of Vande Mataram midway during the party's Independence Day programme, calling the incident “shameless” and saying the alleged act would never be forgiven by the people.

Addressing a public gathering in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, Shah claimed that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had asked party president Mallikarjun Kharge to stop the national song while it was being sung at the Congress headquarters.

‘How Can Anyone Dream Of Leaving Vande Mataram Incomplete?’

Targeting the Congress, Shah said, “Look at their shamelessness,” alleging that Sonia Gandhi had intervened while Vande Mataram was being sung.

Shah further said that “140 crore people” were watching the proceedings and claimed that the alleged attempt to interrupt the song was an act that “will never be forgiven by the people of this country”.

“How can anyone even dream of leaving the anthem Vande Mataram incomplete?” Shah said, while calling upon Congress workers to “feel ashamed” over the alleged incident.

Shah Demands Apology

Shah also criticised the Congress over its handling of Vande Mataram and linked the controversy to the party's historical position on the rendition of the national song.

He demanded that the Congress apologise to the country and to the song's author, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, while accusing the party of having historically favoured the rendition of only the first two stanzas.

The remarks came during Shah's address in Chittorgarh on Independence Day-related political events.

Congress Offers Clarification

The Congress, however, rejected the allegation that Sonia Gandhi had sought to stop Vande Mataram.

According to the party's clarification, Gandhi was merely asking for a chair for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who had been standing during the programme. The party maintained that the song was sung in full and was not interrupted.

The clarification came amid the political controversy over the Independence Day programme, with the BJP and Congress offering sharply different accounts of what happened at the party headquarters.

Political Row Escalates

The exchange has turned the rendition of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters into a fresh political flashpoint, with Shah accusing the opposition party of disrespecting the national song and the Congress insisting that his interpretation of the incident was incorrect.

With both sides maintaining contrasting versions of the episode, the controversy is expected to intensify the ongoing political debate over Vande Mataram and its place in India's Independence Day celebrations.