Delhi Police are examining a complaint alleging that Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi disrupted the playing of Vande Mataram at a party event marking India’s Independence Day, police said on Monday.
The complaint, filed by a lawyer, alleges that the two leaders deliberately interfered with the singing of the national song during celebrations at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday.
The police inquiry comes days after legislation making insults to Vande Mataram a criminal offence came into force following President Droupadi Murmu’s assent.
A video released by news agency ANI showed Sonia Gandhi gesturing and speaking to a party worker while the full version of Vande Mataram was being played. The video did not make clear what she was saying.
The incident has triggered a political dispute, with senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders accusing Sonia Gandhi of disrespecting the national song.
Home Minister Amit Shah said Sonia Gandhi had sought to have the song stopped during the Congress event and criticised her for allegedly objecting to its full rendition.
Congress leaders rejected the accusation. Jairam Ramesh, the party’s communications chief, said Sonia Gandhi had not asked for the song to be stopped but had sought a chair for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who had been standing for an extended period.
The controversy follows a January directive from the federal home ministry that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram should be sung before the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, when the two are performed together.
Previously, official functions generally featured only the first two stanzas. The remaining four include references to Hindu deities including Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.
The BJP has for years accused the Congress of supporting the omission of the four stanzas to accommodate Muslim sentiments, an allegation the Congress has disputed.
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