New Delhi, September 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) traded sharp accusations on Thursday over remarks by BJP president Nitin Nabin targeting Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during the ongoing controversy over the rendition of the national song Vande Mataram.
Addressing BJP workers in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani on Wednesday, Nabin referred to Gandhi as “Rahul Mian” and alleged that he could not understand the significance of Vande Mataram and Indian culture because he was raised in a “foreign culture”.
“Rahul cannot appreciate the national song’s significance as he was raised in a ‘foreign culture’. He is unable to grasp the importance of Indian culture,” Nabin said, while accusing the Congress of being driven by an “anti-national and anarchic” mindset.
Congress leader Amar Singh hit back, asking the BJP president to study the history of the national song. He told IANS that the Congress Working Committee had taken an important decision on Vande Mataram in 1936.
In October 1937, the Congress Working Committee had adopted a resolution recommending that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung at national gatherings.
Singh also accused the BJP of politicising the issue and alleged that the RSS did not hoist the Tricolour at its headquarters for 52 years.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari launched a broader attack on the Sangh Parivar, alleging that its members had acted as informers during the freedom struggle while Congress leaders faced imprisonment, torture and lathi charges.
Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput similarly accused the BJP’s predecessors of informing the British about those who sang the national song.
“Vande Mataram is in our blood; we don’t have to learn anything from them. We will keep singing the national song,” Rajput said.
The BJP, however, defended Nabin’s remarks. Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi described them as the “bitter truth” and questioned Gandhi’s understanding of Vande Mataram, citing his education and upbringing.
Saraogi also referred to the controversy surrounding the full rendition of the national song on Independence Day, in which senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was accused of obstructing its complete rendition. He alleged that Congress leaders were insulting freedom fighters for “vote bank politics”.
BJP MLA Ram Kadam accused the Congress of insulting the national song and tarnishing India’s image abroad. He said the party was gradually losing public support because of its own actions.
The exchange comes amid a wider political dispute over the manner in which Vande Mataram should be rendered and the historical significance attached to its different stanzas.
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