Vande Mataram becomes India’s new political flashpoint
After the controversy created by the NEET question paper leak and the alleged police atrocities against students staging demonstrations at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, which resulted in the total washout of the Monsoon session of Parliament, yet another wrangling has sprung up on the horizon. It is the legislation, the Prevention of Insults to National Honor (Amendment) Bill 2026, enacted by both Houses of Parliament and given assent by the President of India, giving Vande Mataram, India’s national song, the same statutory protection as the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.[1]
Hereafter, anybody disturbing or disrupting the rendering of Vande Mataram could be awarded three years’ imprisonment, a fine or both. The law brings the national song and national anthem on par, and it mandates that all government functions should begin with the national song followed by the national anthem. As usual, the Islamists, Congress, the Communists, the Dravidians and the Samajwadis have gone public with their opposition to Vande Mataram. They have reasons to be irritated by the national song because the Muslims consider it as un-Islamic.[1]
The chief secretary of the Government of Kerala has issued an office order quoting the new legislation that makes the singing of the national song compulsory. Chief Minister V D Satheesan feigned ignorance about the order, while the Muslim League ministers and leaders have declared that they would not follow the directive issued by the chief secretary. Hence, the Independence Day parade of 2026 has assumed significance. Besides Kerala, Congress-ruled states like Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and the JosephVijay-ledChristian government of Tamil Nadu too have declared that they would not recite Vande Mataram.
Violation of government law makes the singing of Vande Mataram a cognizable crime. While the ministers may escape scot-free, the courts are expected to come down heavily on the Chief Secretary of the State, who is likely to be made the scapegoat in the issue. Though the swearing-in of V D Satheesan as chief minister on 18th May 2026 saw the playing of Vande Mataram in full, the irritation seen in the faces of Muslim League leaders gave enough hints of their resentment. Satheesan, to keep the Muslims in the state in good humor, had said that he was not aware of the decision to render the national song as the oath-taking ceremony was held under the auspices of the General Administration Department. This is the second Agnipareeksha to be faced by the United Democratic Front Government, and the situation has changed a lot from May 2026. The Jamaat-E- Islami has established its command over the state, and each department of the government has a trained representative of the Islamic terrorist organization to supervise that everything is functioning as per the diktats issued by the Ameer of Jamaat-E-Islami. Hence, chances of Vande Mataram getting recited look bleak. If the Jamaat-E-Islami feels that it would be worth waiting rather than creating a furor over the national song, they may take it lying down for the time being. But the truth is that the song which inspired the freedom struggle has no takers in the Congress and other parties in the state, barring BJP.
The national anthem itself is unwelcome in the state, and this was proved during the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee meetings themselves, not once but many times. Neither the leadership nor the cadres could sing the anthem much to the embarrassment of former union minister A K Antony or former Speaker V M Sudheeran[2].
In nearby Tamil Nadu, the Christian chief minister has made it known that Tamil Thai Vaazhthu and the national anthem alone would be included in the programme schedule, while the national song does not figure in their Independence Day. The same is the case with Karnataka and Telangana.
If the national song is not sung during Independence Day, it is the Centre that should hang its head in shame. Vande Mataram has a great history, as the song was the one that played a crucial role in attracting students, youth, and grown-ups alike to the struggle for independence. “Vande Mataram, Bharat Mata Ki Jai, and Jai Shri Ram were the slogans that inspired the freedom movement, and this made Jawaharlal Nehru write that Indian tradition is an extension of Sanatana Dharma”, writes S Gurumurthy, chief editor, Tuglaq, the most popular Tamil socio-cultural-political weekly. The passion and love for these slogans disappeared in early 1940, when the Muslim League demanded a separate nation for Muslims. The narrative underwent a major change, and Vande Mataram and Jai Hind disappeared from the national narrative, writes Gurumurthy.
It is for the government at the Centre to take action against the states that do not follow the legislation enacted in Parliament. The punishment should not be confined to the chief secretaries. All they can do is issue guidelines and directives regarding the legislation passed by Parliament. If the states do not follow the law enacted by Parliament, it is an act of dissent and secession, and the only option seems to be Article 356 of the Constitution, which means the dismissal of the government concerned. There is no guarantee that the state governments, in their eagerness to play one-upmanship violate more laws enacted by Parliament. Let’s wait for the morning of 15th August 2026.
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
Reference:
[1] Vande Mataram gets legal protection on par with national anthem: Here is what students must know – Aug 11, 2026, ToI
[2] Congress’s national anthem gaffe in Kerala, wrong lyrics sung as leaders look on – Dec 29, 2025, India Today
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