The Delhi Police on Monday said that they were looking into a complaint alleging that Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi disrupted the singing of Vande Mataram at the party’s Independence Day function in the national capital, ANI reported.

The complaint filed by a lawyer alleged that the two Congress leaders intentionally obstructing the singing of the national song at the event.

The complaint came days after the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Amendment Act, which criminalises insults to the national song, came into effect.

A video from the function released by ANI showed Sonia Gandhi gesturing and speaking to a party worker while the full version of Vande Mataram was being played. It was not clear what she was saying.

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accused Sonia Gandhi of disrespecting the national song and attempting to stop it from being sung in full. However, the Congress denied that she obstructed the singing of *Vande Mataram. *

“Look at their shamelessness,” Shah said at an event in Rajasthan. “Vande Mataram was being sung at the Congress party headquarters. During the song, Congress leader Soniaji asked the Congress president to stop the song. We all watched it on TV. After 80 years, Bankim Babu’s immortal mantra, his immortal song, was once again receiving respect, but Soniaji didn’t like it.”

BJP chief Nitin Nabin said that Sonia Gandhi’s actions showed that even eight decades of independence, the Congress had “no respect” for Vande Mataram. “This is no coincidence, but the bitter truth of the Congress’s distorted thinking,” he said in a social media post.

However, Jairam Ramesh, the Congress’ communications in-charge, maintained that there was no attempt to stop the singing of the national song. “Since Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had been standing for long, Soniaji had merely asked for a chair for him. That’s all,” The Indian Express quoted him as claiming.

On January 28, the Union home ministry directed that all six stanzas of the Vande Mataram be sung first when it is played together with the national anthem Jana Gana Mana.

Only the first two stanzas of the national song had been played at official functions earlier. The remaining stanzas, which invoke Hindu goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati, had been omitted.

The BJP has long alleged that the Congress had agreed to drop the four stanzas to “appease Muslims”.

Edited by Sara Varghese.

Also read: Does ‘Vande Mataram’ need the threat of criminal law to be honoured?

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