Archive · 17 Aug 2026
Gehlot Questions Amit Shah's Right to Speak on Vande Mataram
A big argument is happening in India about a famous song called Vande Mataram.
A leader named Ashok Gehlot is upset with another leader named Amit Shah.
Amit Shah said something against the Congress party for singing this song.
Gehlot says Amit Shah and his groups have no right to talk about the song.
He says the Congress party sang Vande Mataram first, long ago in 1896.
He says many brave people were punished by the British for singing it.
Gehlot says the RSS never sang this song and even made their own prayer instead.
He also says the RSS did not join a big protest called Quit India Movement in 1942.
Gehlot believes history cannot be changed just by giving speeches.
He thinks the people of India know the truth about the past.
Ashok Gehlot questioned Amit Shah's right to speak on Vande Mataram after Shah criticized its singing at AICC headquarters on Independence Day.
Gehlot said the BJP and RSS have no connection with Vande Mataram and called their preaching on history an expression of guilt.
He noted Vande Mataram was first sung at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress in 1896 and became a Congress tradition from 1905.
Gehlot claimed the RSS never adopted Vande Mataram from its formation in 1925 until Independence in 1947.
He said the RSS composed its own prayer, Namaste Sada Vatsale, in 1939 and stayed away from the Quit India Movement in 1942.
Gehlot warned that history cannot be changed through speeches and that the people of India know everything.
- Who
- Ashok Gehlot, senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister, and Amit Shah, Union Home Minister.
- What
- Gehlot questioned Amit Shah's right to speak on Vande Mataram after Shah criticized its singing at AICC headquarters on Independence Day.
- When
- Monday, following Independence Day, when Amit Shah had spoken in Chittorgarh the previous day.
- Where
- India, involving the AICC headquarters and Chittorgarh.
- Why
- Gehlot argues the Congress has a historical association with Vande Mataram while the BJP and RSS never adopted it.
Congress / Ashok Gehlot
BJP / RSS / Amit Shah
Right to speak on Vande Mataram
Congress / Ashok Gehlot
The BJP and RSS have no historical connection with Vande Mataram, so they have no right to speak or lecture on it.
BJP / RSS / Amit Shah
Amit Shah objected to and criticized the singing of Vande Mataram at AICC headquarters and lectured on the song in Chittorgarh.
Historical record of the RSS
Congress / Ashok Gehlot
The RSS never adopted Vande Mataram from 1925 to 1947, composed its own prayer in 1939, and stayed away from the Quit India Movement in 1942.
BJP / RSS / Amit Shah
The BJP and RSS criticize the Congress on the issue, which Gehlot says reflects their guilt and an attempt to rewrite history.
- Main Figures
- Ashok Gehlot (Congress) vs Amit Shah (BJP/Union Home Minister)
- First Singing of Vande Mataram
- Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress, 1896
- Congress Tradition
- Rendition became a tradition at every Congress session from 1905
- Inclusive Version
- Adopted in 1937 on the advice of Rabindranath Tagore
- RSS Formation
- 1925; Gehlot says RSS never adopted Vande Mataram until Independence in 1947
- RSS Prayer
- Namaste Sada Vatsale, composed in 1939
- Quit India Movement
- 1942; Gehlot says RSS stayed away from the movement