Gujarat Congress MLA defends sitting down during Vande Mataram recital amid row

Congress MLA Imran Khedawala on Thursday defended his conduct during the rendition of Vande Mataram in the Gujarat Assembly, saying he stood for the portions of the national song traditionally sung but chose to sit when the newly added lines began.The ruling BJP had accused Khedawala of disrespecting Vande Mataram after alleging that he remained seated during its rendition at the start of the Assembly's Monsoon Session on Wednesday.

The party demanded an apology from the Jamalpur-Khadia MLA.Khedawala, however, said his decision to sit during the newly added portion was his "personal stand" and had nothing to do with his love for the country.KHEDAWALA EXPLAINS HIS STANDSpeaking to Aaj Tak, Khedawala said he was standing in his place when Vande Mataram began in the Assembly. "I respect Vande Mataram as much as it has been sung until now. I will continue to stand in respect of the portions that were there in 1937.

But when the lines added by the BJP began, I was sitting in my place," he said.Khedawala said the BJP and Congress have different ideologies and that he identifies with the Congress ideology. "I am connected to the ideology of the Congress. Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore were connected to this country and its Constitution. I, too, am connected to the same Constitution," he said.He added that sitting down when the newly added lines were sung was his personal decision.

"My worship is towards God and Khuda, but my love is for the country. The BJP should not issue certificates of patriotism to anyone," Khedawala said.He said other legislators may not have sat down during the rendition, but his decision was a personal stand, and he would continue to respect the two stanzas that have traditionally been sung.BJP DEMANDS APOLOGY FROM CONGRESS MLAThe controversy erupted on the opening day of the Gujarat Assembly's three-day Monsoon Session in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.State minister Pravin Mali alleged that Khedawala initially stood when Vande Mataram began but sat down shortly afterwards.

He described the act as an insult to the national song and demanded an apology from the MLA." We demand an answer from the Congress for this insult. They should clarify whether this is Imran Khedawala's personal stance or the official stand of the party," Mali said.He also demanded that Khedawala apologise to the nation, alleging that disrespecting Vande Mataram amounted to disrespecting the country.Khedawala, who represents the Jamalpur-Khadia constituency in Ahmedabad, is the lone Muslim MLA in the Gujarat Assembly.CONGRESS REJECTS BJP'S ALLEGATIONCongress whip in the Assembly, Kirit Patel, rejected the BJP's allegation, saying Khedawala had stood during the rendition and was seated directly behind him.

"It is incorrect to say that he did not stand up. He did stand up; he was right behind me," Patel said.Patel said he was unsure whether Khedawala had sat down "a minute or two early", but maintained that the allegation that the MLA did not stand during Vande Mataram was completely false.He accused BJP leaders in the Gujarat Assembly of repeatedly making allegations against Congress legislators.The Assembly proceedings were later adjourned after members paid tribute to five former MLAs who had died recently.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka KumariPublished On: Sep 9, 2026 16:50 IST