Mangaluru, August 16, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Karnataka BJP leader Vikas Puttur on Sunday filed a police complaint against Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi over her alleged conduct during the rendition of the national song Vande Mataram at the Congress’ Independence Day event in New Delhi.
The complaint was filed at Urwa Police Station in Mangaluru following a controversy over a video from the August 15 programme at Indira Bhawan, the Congress headquarters. The video showed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi speaking and gesturing while Vande Mataram was being played, before they called a party worker and appeared to give him instructions.
Puttur accused the Congress leadership of insulting the national song and alleged that Sonia Gandhi had attempted to obstruct its rendition.
“The whole of India witnessed yesterday the actions of the Congress party. Yesterday, Vande Mataram was being played during the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Congress headquarters. During this, Sonia Gandhi ji interrupted the event, and we have seen, the entire nation has seen, that she was obstructing and instructing her party cadres to stop Vande Mataram,” Puttur told reporters.
Referring to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, Puttur claimed that obstructing the rendition of the national song had been made a criminal offence under the amended law.
He said he had approached the police seeking penal action against Sonia Gandhi and registration of an FIR.
“If at all, the state Congress government and the police fails, I would be filing a PCR (Private Complaint Register) at the Karnataka High Court. I have full faith in the judicial system and the court, and we will ensure that Sonia Gandhi ji comes under law,” Puttur said.
The controversy has triggered a wider political exchange between the BJP and Congress.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari had earlier described the conduct of Congress leaders during the rendition of Vande Mataram as reflecting what he called a “dimagi naxal mindset”.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, however, defended Sonia Gandhi and rejected the allegation that she had attempted to stop the national song.
“There was no attempt to stop it (the song). Because the Congress President (Kharge) had been standing for a long time, Sonia Gandhi was saying, ‘Bring a chair for him and place it there’,” Ramesh said.
The allegations and counter-allegations have intensified the political dispute over the Independence Day event and the rendition of Vande Mataram.
FOLLOW NOW
