The Union Cabinet, in its first decision after the Bharatiya Janata Party's sweeping victory in the West Bengal assembly elections, Tuesday approved a proposal to amend the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act. The amendment seeks to place the national song, Vande Mataram, composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, on the same legal footing as the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.
Legal Protection for Vande Mataram
Currently, the law provides for imprisonment, fine, or both for insults to the national flag and the Constitution, and for preventing the singing of the national anthem. Under the proposal cleared by the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vande Mataram would be added to this list, making non-compliance of norms a cognisable offence. The country is celebrating the 150th year of Vande Mataram this year.
To achieve this, Section 3 of the Act would be amended. The existing provision states that whoever intentionally prevents the singing of the national anthem or causes disturbance to any assembly engaged in such singing shall be punished with imprisonment up to three years, or fine, or both. Repeat offences attract at least one year of imprisonment.
Political and Historical Significance
During Parliament's special discussion on the '150th Year of Vande Mataram' in December last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh strongly advocated elevating the song's status to match that of the national anthem. He accused the Congress party of historically communalising the song and sidelining it due to appeasement politics. The move is politically significant given the cultural and historical resonance of the song, particularly in Bengal, and the prominent place it occupied in India's freedom movement.
Unlike the national anthem, Vande Mataram has so far not enjoyed explicit legal protection. The song, a rallying cry for freedom fighters, was first published in Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's 1882 novel Anandmath, inspired by the sanyasi rebellion against the East India Company rule in Bengal. Earlier in January, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines outlining conduct concerning Vande Mataram.
The amendment is expected to be introduced in the upcoming session of Parliament. It reinforces the government's commitment to honouring India's cultural heritage and ensuring that national symbols are respected.
