Did Congress Leaders Signal Stop? Viral Vande Mataram Video Sparks Political Firestorm In New Delhi

A fresh political controversy has erupted after a video from the Congress Independence Day programme appeared to show Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi making gestures during the rendition of Vande Mataram. Critics alleged the Congress leaders were signalling for the National Song to be stopped. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh rejected the claim, saying the full version was sung and the gesture was about arranging a chair for Kharge. The row comes amid a wider political battle over Vande Mataram, its history, its first two adopted stanzas and the longer version.