After the anti-paper leak bill was passed in the Lok Sabha, now the bill to make insulting ‘Vande Mataram’ a criminal offense has been passed in the Rajya Sabha. Although the Congress-led opposition created a ruckus in the House and even walked out of the House, yet the Prevention of Insults to National Honor (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was passed by voice vote.
Responding to the discussion on the bill, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said that Congress is trying to insult the country’s honor ‘Vande Mataram’ by resorting to appeasement politics.
Expressed surprise at Congress’s opposition
He alleged that opposing Vande Mataram means emboldening India’s ‘Tere Tukde Honge Gang’. He said that many members expressed their opinion, but he was surprised why Congress opposed it. Nityanand Rai said, ‘Vande Mataram Bill is not an ordinary bill, but it is a symbol of India’s soul, national consciousness and cultural heritage and reminds us of the freedom struggle’.
He said that when Bankim Chandra Chatterjee composed the national anthem in 1875, he had said that one day it would be on the tongue of every Indian ‘like a mantra’. Unfortunately, in 1937 (former Prime Minister) Jawaharlal Nehru had limited Vande Mataram to only two verses. He mentioned many such instances when many freedom fighters had said Vande Mataram as their last words while sacrificing their lives for the country.
Vande Mataram is necessary for the resolution of ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’
The Union Minister said, ‘I don’t know why some people are opposing Vande Mataram or why Congress is especially opposing Vande Mataram. There has been discussion on making provision for punishment for insulting the national anthem through this bill. Opposing Vande Mataram means that Congress has always been insulting the honor of the country by adopting the policy of appeasement. Why are Congress and its allies protesting?’ He said that the youth of the country are watching everything and the people of the country will teach them a lesson. He also said that Vande Mataram is necessary for the resolution of ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’.
‘Respect for national symbols should be above politics’
He further said that ‘Swami Vivekananda was called ‘Narendra’ in his childhood. He had dreamed of giving Vande Mataram that place in the country, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now fulfilling. He said that respect for national symbols is a subject which should be above politics.
Leave a Reply