Opposition: Vande Mataram Bill Goes Against Constitution

New Delhi – The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which makes disrespecting the national song Vande Mataram a punishable offence. The move drew sharp criticism from opposition parties who alleged it violates secularism and religious freedom.

The government said the new law will give Vande Mataram a status similar to the national anthem Jana Gana Mana.

What Opposition Leaders Said

DMK

MP Kanimozhi said the Bill goes against India’s secular values. “Our founding fathers were clear that only the first two stanzas should be sung. Now the government wants all stanzas. This will hurt people of different faiths and is an attempt to divide the country,” she said.

MP A Raja said he moved an amendment to limit the law to the two stanzas approved by the Constituent Assembly on Jan 24, 1950. He accused the government of “misrepresentation”, saying leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, Patel and Mookerjee had agreed to only the first two stanzas.

TMC

Saugata Roy called the Bill “unnecessary”. “We have no problem with Vande Mataram being sung, but even Rabindranath Tagore did not want the full version as national song,” he said.

AIM

Asaduddin Owaisi said the law violates Articles 25, 26 and 29. “Vande Mataram is a prayer involving worship of deities. I am a Muslim and worship only Allah. This is a direct attack on religious freedom,” he alleged, adding the Bill aims to push India toward a “Hindu theocratic state”.

Congress

Deepender Singh Hooda said Vande Mataram is a symbol of patriotism and part of the freedom movement, but warned against making it political. “My grandfather was jailed for singing it. It belongs to the nation, not any party,” he said.

What The Bill Does

The 2026 amendment criminalises any insult to Vande Mataram. The government argues the full composition by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee should be given equal respect as the national anthem.

Opposition members countered that the Constituent Assembly had only accepted the first two stanzas and not passed a formal resolution making the full song the national song.