Parliament Passes Bill Making ‘Vande Mataram’ Insult a Punishable Offence

New Delhi, Jul 30: Parliament on Thursday passed a bill making any insult to the national song Vande Mataram a punishable offence, with the Lok Sabha clearing the legislation amid Opposition protests.

The government said the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, seeks to accord Vande Mataram a status on par with the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, and make any insult to the national song a criminal offence.

Responding to a brief debate in the lower House in which two members participated, Minister of State for Home Nityananda Rai said the Congress should have given Vande Mataram its due respect during its 76 years in power, but instead resorted to appeasement politics.

The Narendra Modi government, he said, was now giving the national song the respect it deserved.

“For Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat, we need complete (all six stanzas) Vande Mataram song,” Rai said before concluding his reply with a chant of Vande Mataram.

The existing Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act prohibits intentionally preventing the singing of the national anthem or causing disturbance to an assembly engaged in such singing. Such offences are punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, a fine or both. A second and subsequent conviction carries a minimum one-year jail term.

The amendment extends these provisions to Vande Mataram.

The Bill was passed by voice vote after Opposition amendments were rejected. DMK member K Kanimozhi opposed the legislation, calling it a “Hindutva agenda” masquerading as nationalism and arguing that making all six stanzas compulsory could affect the country’s secular character.

BJP member Sambit Patra criticised the Congress over its alleged failure to accord Vande Mataram due respect during its years in government.

Following the passage of the Bill, sloganeering continued in the House and the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day.

The legislation is the first Bill to be passed by both Houses of Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session. (Agencies)