Lok Sabha Clears Bill To Criminalise Insult To Vande Mataram
The Lok Sabha passed a bill to criminalize insults to the national song 'Vande Mataram', equating its status to the national anthem. The legislation faced opposition from some members who argued it was an imposition of a specific ideological agenda.
Why it matters
This legislation marks a significant shift in national honor laws and reflects ongoing debates regarding secularism and nationalism in Indian politics.
Parliament on Thursday passed a bill that makes any insult to the national song Vande Mataram a punishable offence with Lok Sabha clearing the legislation amid din.The government asserted that The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 will grant status to Vande Mataram on par with national anthem Jana Gana Mana. It seeks to make any insult to Vande Mataram a criminal offence.Responding to a brief debate in the lower house in which only 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 of rule, but instead it resorted to appeasement politics.The Narendra Modi government is now giving the national song its due respect which it deserves."For Ek Bharat, Shreshtra Bharat, we need complete (all six stanzas) Vande Mataram song," Rai said, as he concluded his brief reply to the bill…
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