Amidst the uproar, the Bill chastised the insult to the National Song introduced in the Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha proceedings are underway during the monsoon session of Parliament in New Delhi on Friday. (Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab)

Amid disruption of police action against students protesting against the paper leak, the Union Home Ministry on Friday (July 24, 2026) introduced the Prevention of Insults to National Honor (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Rajya Sabha to punish any insult to the National Song, Vande Mataram.

Objections raised by left-wing MPs against the introduction of the law were defeated by a voice vote.

The bill, which proposes to amend the Prevention of Insults to National Honor Act 1971, extends punishments for acts of disrespect to national symbols such as the national flag, constitution and national anthem to Vande Mataram as well.

Follow the highlights of Day 5 of Monsoon Parliament Session

Minister of State for Home Nityananda Rai introduced the bill. Deputy Speaker Harivansh, who presided, invited CPI(M) MP John Brittas and CPI MP Sandosh Kumar P to speak for one minute as they had filed notices to oppose the bill on the grounds of legislative competence or its constitutionality.

Brittas said Parliament could not rewrite the constitutional agreement through ordinary legislation. He said that the bill relied entirely on the statement of first President Rajendra Prasad that the National Song must acquire a similar character to the National Anthem. “But it suppresses the fundamental constitutional context in which the statement was made. Therefore, neither the constitutional provision, nor the resolution, not even the decision of the assembly… After 76 years, the Parliament cannot elevate the presidential statement to the text of the constitution,” he said, adding that the bill is a dishonor to the decision of the Constituent Assembly and the creators of the Constitution.

“The Constituent Assembly, after nearly three years of exhaustive deliberations, consciously refrained from placing the National Song and the National Anthem on the same constitutional footing. If the framers of both had intended to enjoy the same legal consequences, they would have expressed it and thus ensured it,” he said, adding that the government cannot create patriotism and nationalism through law.

Mr. Kumar’s reference to the role of the ruling establishment in the freedom struggle was deleted by the Speaker. He said the main point is that Vande Mataram should unite Indians, not divide them. “The leaders of the Indian freedom movement, including Rabindranath Tagore, understood this. That’s why it was limited to only two stanzas,” he said, adding that the government was deliberately creating a divide between Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the author of the National Anthem.

Countering the statements, Mr Rai said the Left MPs were trying to mislead the House. He said that on January 24, 1950, Rajendra Prasad said that both the national song and the national anthem should have equal status and the government respects it. He asked for permission to introduce the bill. It was put to the vote amid slogans from opposition members and Mr. Harivansh announced that the bill had been introduced. Soon after, he suspended the proceedings of the House.

In a statement on the objects and reasons of the bill, Home Minister Amit Shah said the 1971 Act makes any act of willfully preventing the singing of the national anthem or disrupting any assembly engaged in such singing an offence. “At present, there is no specific legal provision to prevent insults to the singing of Vande Mataram, which is revered as the national song. Therefore, in order to prohibit anyone from willfully obstructing the singing of the national song or causing disturbance to any assembly engaged in such singing, it is proposed to amend section 3 of the said Act to include the national song also within its purview so that such punishment is possible.

Earlier in the morning, the Rajya Sabha witnessed two adjournments over the NEET paper leak issue and police action against opposition protesters demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. In the morning before the adjournment, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge reiterated the opposition’s demand that there could be no debate on any issue without the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, an apology from the government for police brutality against protesters at Jantar Mantar and a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Published – 24 Jul 2026 23:06 IST