Mallikarjun Kharge didn’t mince phrases and in a pointy takedown reminded Residence Minister Amit Shah, who criticised the Congress over alleged insult to Vande Mataram, that the latter was a toddler when he first grew to become an MLA.
“Amit Shah speaks in opposition to our Madam Sonia Gandhi, he speaks in opposition to the Gandhi household. Once I first grew to become an MLA, Amit Shah was a toddler, and in the present day he is educating us patriotism,” Kharge, the 84-year-old Chief of the Opposition within the Rajya Sabha, stated at a public rally in Goa on Monday.
जब मैं पहली बार MLA बना था, तब अमित शाह बच्चे थे और आज हमें देशभक्ति सिखा रहे हैं।
BJP और इनके पुरखों ने कभी आजादी की लड़ाई नहीं लड़ी, इसलिए ये लोग कांग्रेस के लोगों को देशभक्ति न सिखाएं।
असल में- ‘Anti-India’ और ‘Anti-religion’ तो BJP है, क्योंकि जब मैंने उत्तराखंड में भाषण… pic.twitter.com/8mijeDBy6r
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 17, 2026
The criticism follows 61-year-old Amit Shah’s allegation that in the course of the Independence Day programme on the Congress headquarters, Sonia Gandhi requested Vande Mataram to be stopped halfway by means of the track.
Defending itself, the Congress maintained that Sonia Gandhi had been asking for a chair for M Kharge, including that the complete model of the Vande Mataram was sung. The Congress additionally cited historical past to argue that Rabindranath Tagore had recommended that solely the primary few stanzas of Vande Mataram be sung.
Sonia Gandhi and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge in the course of the eightieth Independence Day celebrations at AICC headquarters
Written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and later included into his novel Anandamath, Vande Mataram grew to become probably the most highly effective symbols of India’s freedom motion. The track’s later verses, nonetheless, grew to become controversial due to their spiritual imagery. After the 1937 provincial elections, the Congress adopted the primary two stanzas for public use, following considerations concerning the acceptability of the entire composition amongst completely different spiritual communities within the nation. The disagreement over the track continues to replicate a bigger political divide.
In a historic first, the National Song Vande Mataram was played in full during the 80th Independence Day celebrations led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the historic Pink Fort on Saturday. The yr 2026 marks 150 years of Vande Mataram.
The complete model of ‘Vande Mataram’ was lately accorded the identical authorized safety because the Nationwide Anthem.
“Our folks fought for the nation’s independence. You fought too? Inform me, which BJP individual fought for this nation’s independence? Which RSS individual fought for this nation’s independence? And also you lecture us about patriotism?” Kharge charged.
Kharge alleged that the BJP had no ethical authority to query the patriotism of Congress leaders.
“We aren’t patriots, we’re anti-India, you say. You (BJP) are those who’re anti-India and anti-religion. The reason being that when a person like me delivers a speech in Uttarakhand earlier than tons of of hundreds of individuals, you carry out a havan two days later to ‘purify’ the place. Is it not a disgrace on this nation,” Kharge, who’s a Dalit, stated referencing the ‘purification’ at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani in Uttarakhand earlier this month.
The gang roared again “disgrace, disgrace”.
Two days after Kharge’s Uttarakhand speech, a proper wing group, ‘Shri Ram Sena’, on August 10 carried out a ‘shuddhikaran’ (purification) havan on the rally venue.
The Shri Ram Sena carried out a purification havan at M Kharge’s rally venue in Uttarakhand
Minister JP Nadda, defending the occasion within the Rajya Sabha, stated that the incident was unlucky, and clarified that BJP members weren’t concerned. He additionally assured that an inquiry could be performed.
“Does your faith train this? Do your folks train this? Do your gurus train you to do that? Purify yourselves, in any case, you’re the largest sinners; you’re the ones who want purification first,” Kharge stated.
Faith shouldn’t be lowered to such acts, he stated, questioning the BJP over its “selective interpretation of spiritual values”.
“I’m a consultant of the folks. And as a consultant of the folks, I’ll hold travelling, I’ll hold talking, I’ll hold preventing, and I’ll hold exposing and defeating these folks,” Kharge stated.
