Home Minister Amit Shah will introduce a bill in the Rajya Sabha on the first day of the monsoon session. Under this, insulting or obstructing the singing of the national song Vande Mataram will become a criminal offense. The opposition has opposed this bill.
New Delhi [भारत]July 19 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to introduce a bill in the Rajya Sabha on Monday (July 20) to amend the Prevention of Insults to National Honor Act, 1971. The purpose of this proposed law is to make it a criminal offense to cause any obstruction or disrespect to the singing of the national song Vande Mataram.
As per the business list of Rajya Sabha, this bill is listed for introduction on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament. The monsoon session of Parliament starting from Monday may see clashes between the Center and the Opposition on many issues. The session, which will run till August 13, will also see the parliamentary debut of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), formed by 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs by merging their faction with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
BJP welcomed the bill
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Seth said, “Vande Mataram is our national song… While earlier the full version was not sung, now it is being sung everywhere; we welcome the bill being introduced in this regard.”
Opposition opposed the bill
Earlier in the day, CPI(M) MP John Brittas urged the Center to withdraw the Prevention of Insults to National Honor (Amendment) Bill, 2026. He said the bill expands criminal liability for stopping the singing of the national song Vande Mataram. In a letter to Amit Shah, John Brittas argued that the proposed bill deviates from the constitutional arrangement that has governed the status of the national anthem and national song.
Acknowledging the contribution of Vande Mataram to India’s independence movement, the CPI(M) MP alleged that the bill risks “upsetting a delicate constitutional balance founded on pluralism, freedom of conscience and voluntary patriotism”. He said the Bill seeks to amend Section 3 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honor Act, 1971, under which criminal liability has been extended to acts of willfully preventing the singing of the national song, Vande Mataram, or causing obstruction to any assembly engaged in singing.
Brittas said, “While the profound contribution of Vande Mataram to India’s independence movement is undeniable and demands the highest respect from every Indian, the proposed amendment departs from the carefully developed constitutional arrangement that has governed the status of the national anthem and national song since the birth of our Republic. By doing so, it risks upsetting a delicate constitutional balance founded on pluralism, freedom of conscience and voluntary patriotism.”
Arguing against criminalizing not singing Vande Mataram, he said that “Article 19(1)(a) guarantees freedom of speech and expression, including the freedom to remain silent, except in cases where constitutionally permissible restrictions exist. Article 25 protects freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion, subject only to public order, morality and health. Article 21 protects individual liberty and dignity While Articles 14 and 29 reinforce the constitutional commitment to equality and the pluralistic social fabric of India, the Constitution deliberately avoids imposing mandatory expressions of patriotism which are clearly required by law.”
AAP also targeted BJP
Additionally, AAP MP Sanjay Singh alleged that the insult to Vande Mataram and the tricolor has come only from the BJP. He alleged, “What was his contribution to the freedom struggle? He can do gimmicks and drama, but he cannot escape his history… Syama Prasad Mukherjee had formed the government with Jinnah’s Muslim League. The Jan Sangh Party was funded by Jinnah’s grandson Nusli Wadia. This is the dark truth about him.” (ANI)
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