Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday condemned the alleged conduct of Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi during Vande Mataram’s rendition at the party headquarters. Congress rejected the BJP’s accusation, saying Sonia Gandhi was seeking a chair for Kharge
Published Date – 16 August 2026, 04:32 PM
Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said that the alleged conduct of Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi during the rendition of Vande Mataram deserves condemnation.
The BJP has claimed that the Congress leaders showed “utter disrespect” towards the national song when it was being sung during the Independence Day event at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi.
“Vande Mataram inspired generations during our freedom struggle. It deserves reverence and respect, not indifference,” Sawant said in a post on X. The conduct of Sonia Gandhi, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi during the rendition of Vande Mataram at the Congress Independence Day programme deserves condemnation, he added.
The Congress has rejected the accusation, asserting that there was no attempt to stop the singing of the full version of the national song and that Sonia Gandhi was only asking for a chair for party chief Kharge as he had been standing for some time.
