Archive · 17 Aug 2026
Bankim Chandra descendant seeks Sonia Gandhi apology over Vande Mataram
A long time ago, an Indian writer named Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote a famous patriotic song called 'Vande Mataram,' which means 'I bow to you, Mother.'
During India's freedom struggle, many brave people sang it to feel strong and hopeful.
On August 15, 2026, India celebrated 80 years of being a free country.
A politician named Sumitro Chatterjee, who is a family member of the writer, said something upsetting happened at the Congress party's headquarters that day.
He says some leaders looked uncomfortable and tried to stop people from singing the whole song.
Mr. Chatterjee wrote a letter to a leader named Sonia Gandhi and asked her to say sorry without any conditions.
Another leader, Amit Malviya, also said the song was nearly stopped, but in the end the full song was sung.
The Congress party says this is not true and that no one tried to stop the singing.
Mr. Chatterjee says everyone should respect 'Vande Mataram' because it belongs to all Indians, not to any one party.
Sumitro Chatterjee, BJP MLA from Naihati and a direct descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, demanded an unconditional apology from Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
He alleged discomfort and repeated attempts to stop the full singing of 'Vande Mataram' at the AICC headquarters on August 15, 2026, India's 80th Independence Day.
Chatterjee called the episode a 'shameless repetition of a historical mistake,' citing the song's truncation in October 1937 after Mohammad Ali Jinnah's objections.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh rejected the claim, saying there was no attempt to stop anyone and that Sonia Gandhi was only asking for a chair for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
BJP leader Amit Malviya separately claimed Sonia Gandhi became 'agitated' and Rahul Gandhi signalled the song's end, though the full rendition was eventually sung at the event.
- Who
- Sumitro Chatterjee, BJP MLA from Naihati and a direct descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, who wrote to Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
- What
- A demand for an unconditional apology over alleged discomfort and repeated attempts to stop the full singing of 'Vande Mataram' at the AICC headquarters.
- When
- The alleged incident occurred on August 15, 2026, India's 80th Independence Day; the letter was written on Saturday and the demand was reported on August 16.
- Where
- The All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters, where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hoisted the national flag.
- Why
- Chatterjee said the alleged reluctance to fully recite the patriotic song was an insult to freedom fighters' sacrifices and 'a shameless repetition of a historical mistake.'
Congress and its defenders
BJP and critics of Congress
Was the full song actually suppressed?
Congress and its defenders
Congress denies any controversy; Jairam Ramesh said there was no attempt to stop anyone and that Sonia Gandhi was only asking for a chair for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
BJP and critics of Congress
Sonia Gandhi allegedly became 'agitated', Rahul Gandhi signalled the song's end, and repeated attempts were made to stop the full version, showing disrespect to a sacred national symbol.
The meaning of the 1937 precedent
Congress and its defenders
The Congress party strongly rejected the BJP's interpretation of the event and called it a deliberate attempt to divert the political narrative.
BJP and critics of Congress
The 1937 bow to Mohammad Ali Jinnah's objections 'shattered' the timeless hymn, and the shadow of that compromise is visible again in the party's behaviour today.
Patriotism as a party issue
Congress and its defenders
The incident occurred inside a party event and should not be equated with disrespecting the nation; the BJP is using it to divert the political narrative.
BJP and critics of Congress
'Vande Mataram' is not the property of any party but the country's collective memory and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's legacy, earned through the blood of martyrs; any leadership failing to respect it will be consigned to oblivion by history.
- Complainant
- Sumitro Chatterjee, BJP MLA from Naihati
- Addressed to
- Sonia Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson
- Incident date
- August 15, 2026 — India's 80th Independence Day
- Location
- All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters
- Allegation
- Discomfort, displeasure and repeated attempts to stop the full 'Vande Mataram' rendition
- Congress response
- Jairam Ramesh said there was no attempt to stop anyone; Sonia Gandhi was asking for a chair for Mallikarjun Kharge
- Historical reference
- Truncation of the song in October 1937 after Mohammad Ali Jinnah's objections
- Legal context
- MHA protocol mandates all six stanzas at specified official functions; the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026 criminalises preventing the singing of the national song
Sources
'Vande' row: Bankim's descendant seeks Sonia's apology
Bankim Chandra's Descendant Writes To Sonia Gandhi Over Vande Mataram 'Insult' | Top Update
Bankim Chandra’s descendant Sumitro Chatterjee seeks Sonia Gandhi’s apology over Vande Mataram row
'Brazen Repetition of Historical Mistake': Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay Descendant Writes To Sonia Gandhi Over Vande Mataram
