BJP legislator Sumitro Chatterjee, a direct descendant of Vande Mataram composer Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, has sent a letter to Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi. He is seeking an unconditional apology regarding the controversy over the national song’s performance at the Congress headquarters during Independence Day events.
The issue has gained a personal and historical angle. The West Bengal MLA from Naihati claims the song faced interruptions and visible unease when performed in full at the Congress program. In his letter, Chatterjee described the episode as deeply painful and called it a repetition of past errors. He urged Gandhi to apologize to Indian citizens, especially those in West Bengal.
Chatterjee portrayed the matter as an insult to a national symbol tied to the freedom struggle. He noted discomfort during the rendition and attempts to halt it midway, which he said hurt people in Bengal due to the song’s links with the region’s cultural and nationalist history.
Speaking to media, he stated the actions insulted the country and the Bengali community, adding that his family felt hurt. Chatterjee said he emailed Gandhi directly and copied Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, choosing not to involve other authorities.
He placed the incident in historical context, recalling that Vande Mataram, from Bankim Chandra’s novel Anandamath, served as a key call during the independence movement. Tagore performed it at a 1896 Congress session and others sang it in 1905. Chatterjee argued the recent episode echoes a 1937 Congress decision to shorten the song after objections from Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He said the song represents sacrifices of freedom fighters and forms part of India’s heritage.
