Political Clash Ignites Between BJP and Congress Over National...
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad targeted Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for allegedly insulting the national song Vande Mataram by not...
By GT24x7 Reporter··GlobalToday24x7
A fresh political controversy has erupted between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party regarding the national song, Vande Mataram. Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a sharp attack against the opposition leadership, directly accusing Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge of disrespecting the national song during an official party gathering in Goa on Monday, immediately following Independence Day celebrations. Addressing reporters at a press conference in New Delhi on August 18, 2026, Prasad claimed that Kharge purposefully refrained from singing the complete national song, thereby undermining its historic sanctity, cultural heritage, and core patriotic essence in front of public gatherings.
Elaborating extensively on the historic significance of the national song, Prasad pointed out that eminent freedom fighter and India's first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, had formally accorded equal status to *Jana Gana Mana* as the National Anthem and *Vande Mataram* as the National Song during the Constituent Assembly proceedings. Highlighting that Dr. Rajendra Prasad himself belonged to the historical Congress party, the senior BJP leader strongly questioned why the contemporary Congress leadership continues to display repeated resistance, hesitation, or ideological opposition toward honoring *Vande Mataram* across public platforms and party functions nationwide.
Historical Context, Ideological Friction, and National Symbols
The ongoing political dispute underscores persistent ideological friction over national symbols, constitutional values, and patriotic heritage between the ruling party and opposition forces across the nation. The BJP emphasized that national symbols, freedom movement legacies, and sacred patriotic songs should transcend partisan politics and serve as unified pillars connecting citizens to India's rich historical struggle.
Furthermore, BJP leaders argued that selective adherence to national customs damages the solemnity of constitutional values established during the nation's founding era. By bringing the Constituent Assembly’s historical decisions back into public debate, the BJP aims to highlight what it terms as a pattern of selective respect toward national traditions by opposition leaders, urging the top Congress leadership to publicly clarify its official stance regarding national honor, cultural unity, and patriotic respect.