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NEW DELHI: The row over the full rendition of Vande Mataram at Congress headquarters on Independence Day acquired a Bankim Chandra connection, with BJP MLA Sumitro Chatterjee, a direct descendant of the national song’s author, writing to Sonia Gandhi Saturday and demanding an unconditional apology to the country.The controversy erupted after a video from Congress’s Aug 15 function showed Sonia gesturing and speaking to party president Mallikarjun Kharge while the full version of Vande Mataram was being sung.In his letter, Chatterjee said the episode had left him with “deep pain, emptiness and anguish”, alleging Sonia’s “physical gestures” reflected “unease, impatience and repeated attempts to stop” the song. He said the reaction hurt him not only as a citizen but as a direct descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. TNN
