Mangaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 16 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have lodged a formal complaint against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi at the Urwa Police Station in Karnataka on Sunday, following a controversy during the recitation of the national song Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi on Independence Day.
The controversy erupted after visuals from the Independence Day programme at the Congress headquarters showed senior party leaders speaking among themselves while Vande Mataram was being recited. BJP leaders have criticised their conduct, alleging that it amounted to disrespect towards the National Song.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Sunday criticised the Congress leadership, alleging that the opposition party harbours deep discomfort and disrespect toward the national song, 'Vande Mataram'.
Targeting Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, he said their visible discomfort during the event revealed their true position.
"Yesterday, the Congress revealed its true face to the country and the world. They harbour such hatred for 'Vande Mataram'... You saw how uncomfortable Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge became yesterday the moment the full version of 'Vande Mataram' was played... When they saw it had been recorded on camera, they tried to give explanations," said the BJP leader.
BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain also criticised the Congress leaders over the controversy, saying their reaction during the recitation was unfortunate.
Hussain said, "The country knows how uncomfortable they grew while Vande Mataram was being sung and it is unfortunate that attempts were made to stop the singing of the song."
Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra also accused the Congress leaders of deliberately disrespecting the National Song.
Mishra said, "When the National Song was being played, the conduct of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, and the entire group present there clearly revealed a deliberate intent to show disrespect."
However, the Congress asserted that Sonia Gandhi's actions had nothing to do with the national song played at the venue. The party maintained that she was merely trying to ensure that the correct arrangements for Vande Mataram were sung properly in the event.