Not playing Vande Mataram in the Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly on the commencement of the monsoon session on Friday became the latest flashpoint between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).Sukhu said neither the BJP nor its Himachal Pradesh unit had the right to disrespect the National Anthem and asserted that people would “never forgive” such conduct. (Deepak Sansta/HT)Amid BJP’s accusations against Congress insulting Vande Mataram, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu accused the BJP MLAs of disrespecting the National Anthem in the state assembly.Sukhu, while speaking to Hindustan Times after the house was adjourned on Friday, expressed “deep regret” over the BJP’s conduct, alleging that the party’s legislators had insulted the National Anthem.“It is a matter of great regret that the BJP today insulted the National Anthem in the House. We could not have expected the BJP to disrespect the National Anthem,” Sukhu said. Sukhu said neither the BJP nor its Himachal Pradesh unit had the right to disrespect the National Anthem and asserted that people would “never forgive” such conduct.“I believe that disrespecting the National Anthem in this manner is an offence, and the people will punish them for this,” he said. “Vande Mataram is our National Song and we sing it. Even at our party functions, we sing the National Song. The Speaker can also confirm this,” Sukhu said.Taking dig at BJP, Sukhu, said, “They (BJP) wanted to divert attention from the paper leak cases, the chanda chori (alleged irregularities relating to donations) cases and corruption issues concerning the BJP in the state,” he alleged.No tampering with ‘Vande Mataram’ will be tolerated: Jai Ram Shimla Lashing out at Congress for not insisting on singing just two stanzas of Vande Mataram, former chief minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur said that no tampering with ‘Vande Mataram’ will be tolerated.The LoP, in a statement issued on Friday, said that the CM must respect the law enacted by Parliament. “CM must clearly understand that the country is governed by the Constitution and laws passed by Parliament, not by the ‘dictates’ of the Congress Working Committee.”“Instead of acting as a subservient follower of the Gandhi family and the Congress—who consistently insult ‘Vande Mataram’—the CM should respect ‘Vande Mataram,’ a song that embodies the Constitution and the national consciousness of the people,” the LoP alleged.He noted that the ‘Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026,’ mandating the singing of all stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram,’ has become law after being passed by both Houses of Parliament and receiving the President’s assent. Under this law, Section 3 has been amended to provide for penalties against anyone who insults the National Song—alongside the National Anthem—or disrupts its rendition. “The days of insulting symbols of national identity and pride for the sake of appeasement are over,” he said.‘Congress ‘politicising’ National Anthem in assembly’ Senior BJP leader and Himachal Pradesh MLA and former Assembly Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar accused the ruling Congress of “politicising” the National Anthem and National Song controversy, alleging that the ruling party had deliberately ignored the Opposition’s demand to sing the full version of Vande Mataram in accordance with a recent parliamentary decision.Parmar was speaking to HT after BJP legislators staged a protest outside the Himachal Pradesh assembly, raising slogans over what they described as “disrespect” to Vande Mataram.“A law has recently been made in Parliament that the National Song, Vande Mataram, should be sung in its complete form, not merely two stanzas,” he said, adding that BJP members repeatedly requested the Speaker to consider the demand but the same was ignored.“We have not said anything disrespectful or anti-national. In fact, the disrespect came from the treasury benches. When we were demanding that the National Song be sung, slogans were being raised from there,” Parmar alleged.“The Speaker said that the law is part of judicial scrutiny and that the legislature is supreme. But if someone wants to challenge a law in court, they have the right to do so. No final decision has been delivered by any court so far,” Parmar said.“On August 15, we saw that wherever ministers went, the complete National Song was sung—not just two stanzas but all the stanzas. Then what was the problem in this Assembly?” he asked.“The Assembly has had excellent traditions since Himachal Pradesh’s legislature came into existence. Traditions are not created merely in books they are built over time,” he said.“As leader of the House and chief minister, he (CM) should have taken the lead and said that the complete National Song should be sung. That would have created a new tradition,” Parmar said. He added that the disruption had deprived legislators of an opportunity to raise issues concerning the public during the session.