Senior Indian National Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury on Wednesday, 19 August launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, accusing it of weaponising the national song Vande Mataram to deepen communal divisions while deflecting attention from pressing public issues such as the NEET paper leak controversy. Speaking in an interview, Chowdhury addressed a range of political flashpoints, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'dimagi naxal' remarks to allegations against Sonia Gandhi over the Independence Day celebration at the Congress headquarters.

On PM Modi's 'Dimagi Naxal' Remarks

Chowdhury responded critically to Modi's use of the phrase 'dimagi naxal' during his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, calling it unbecoming of the occasion. 'By making such claims, he is admitting that those who are on the opposite side have brains,' she said, adding that spreading 'false narratives' on a platform as significant as the 80th anniversary of India's independence reflected poorly on the Prime Minister's own thinking.

She drew a pointed contrast with past leaders, noting that former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Manmohan Singh used Independence Day addresses to inspire the nation. 'We used to listen to such big personalities on I-Day,' she said, implying that the current discourse has markedly deteriorated.

Vande Mataram Row and Allegations Against Sonia Gandhi

On allegations that Sonia Gandhi attempted to stop the full rendition of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters, Chowdhury dismissed the charge as politically motivated distraction. 'This is the politics of allegations,' she said, questioning whether anyone had actually heard what Sonia Gandhi said. She argued that the BJP was using the Vande Mataram controversy to divert attention from its own governance failures, including unresolved concerns over the NEET paper leak and student welfare.

Responding to actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut's claim that Congress was 'worse than Pakistan in terms of patriotism,' Chowdhury countered by pointing out that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters had historically not hoisted the Tricolour, and that Vande Mataram had not been a consistent part of their public discourse until recently. 'To spread hatred, they are stretching the Vande Mataram issue,' she said.

On HD Kumaraswamy's Remarks About Sonia Gandhi

Chowdhury reacted sharply to HD Kumaraswamy's comment questioning Sonia Gandhi's patriotism on the grounds of her Italian origin. 'This is what happens with the daughters-in-law. Their blood is questioned in this way,' she said, calling out what she described as a gendered and regressive line of attack. She challenged Kumaraswamy directly, asking him to reflect on his own 'blood type' before making such remarks.

Ram Temple Donations, Rahul Gandhi, and 2029 Elections

On the Ram temple donation embezzlement case, Chowdhury expressed scepticism over the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report that cleared Champat Rai, saying 'small individuals will be punished, and big names will be saved.' She alleged that real silver had been stolen and replaced with fake silver, calling it a betrayal of religious trust.

Asked about the 2029 general elections and whether Rahul Gandhi would be Prime Minister, she declined to speculate, noting that Gandhi had never made such a claim himself. She did, however, defend his political credibility, citing his Bharat Jodo Yatra — a walk from Kashmir to Kanyakumari — as evidence of his ground-level connect with the country. On US President Donald Trump's praise of India's electoral system, Chowdhury was dismissive, saying India should not seek validation from a country that extended voting rights to women far later than India did.

On Opposition Splits and BJP's Internal Changes

Chowdhury attributed the fractures in parties like Trinamool Congress and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena to pressure from central investigative agencies, arguing that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) were being deployed as instruments of political coercion. On BJP's internal reshuffle — including the reported removal of Amit Malviya as BJP IT cell chief and the reinduction of Smriti Irani — she called the latter a positive development, saying Irani was a 'talented woman' who had been 'removed wrongly earlier.'

As the political temperature around national symbols and minority representation continues to rise ahead of state elections, Chowdhury's remarks signal that the Congress intends to contest the BJP's framing of patriotism on every front.