Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday, 18 August, challenged the legal basis of a police complaint filed against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over the Vande Mataram rendition controversy, arguing that if singing the national song in its traditional form was a crime, then cases should equally be filed against Mahatma Gandhi, former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Speaking to reporters in Panaji, Kharge mounted a pointed defence of the Congress position as the row over the Independence Day celebrations at the party's Indira Bhavan headquarters continued to escalate.

What Happened at Indira Bhavan

The controversy traces back to Saturday, 15 August, when Kharge unfurled the Tricolour at the Congress headquarters during Independence Day celebrations, after which Vande Mataram was sung. The party had stated that only the first two stanzas of the national song would be rendered. However, the singers reportedly continued through the full version.

According to reports, Sonia Gandhi was the first to notice that the rendition had gone beyond the agreed stanzas. She allegedly gestured towards Kharge and later appeared to communicate with the singers, signalling them to stop. The episode, described as dramatic, has since drawn sharp political reactions.

The Complaint and Kharge's Rebuttal

On Monday, 17 August, a complaint was filed with the Delhi Police against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, seeking registration of an FIR over an alleged attempt to disrupt the singing of Vande Mataram during the Independence Day event.

Kharge dismissed the complaint outright. 'We sang the same Vande Mataram that Mahatma Gandhi sang. We sang what Jawaharlal Nehru sang. For the last 18 years, we have sung what they sang, including what their Central government under Vajpayee sang. And for 12 years, as Chief Minister, he — Prime Minister Narendra Modi — also sang the same Vande Mataram,' he said.

'If this is a crime, then they have been committing this crime for 18 years. If this is the same crime, then file a case against Mahatma Gandhi. If this is the same crime, file a case against Nehru,' Kharge added.

He further noted that the Congress had passed a resolution on national songs even before many of its current critics were born, framing the controversy as politically motivated rather than legally grounded.

Kharge on Funding and the RSS

Separately, Kharge also addressed the issue of funding to educational and social organisations, opposing any move to halt financial assistance. 'If any mistake is there, then correct it. Instead of stopping funding, if anyone is getting the most funding, then it's only the RSS,' he alleged. He added that multiple opposition parties shared the Congress position on the funding question and that some issues would require broader inter-party consensus before resolution.

What Comes Next

The Delhi Police complaint is pending, and it remains to be seen whether authorities will pursue an FIR. The episode has widened into a broader debate about the Congress party's stance on national symbols and its handling of the Independence Day programme. Political observers note that the controversy arrives at a sensitive moment, with the party already under pressure on multiple fronts ahead of upcoming state elections.