Shashi Tharoor's message for 'zealots' on Vande Mataram mandate
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday criticised the Centre’s decision to make it mandatory to sing the Song in full, along with the Anthem
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday criticised the Centre’s decision to make it mandatory to sing the Song in full, along with the Anthem, at the start and end of every official function. He said he feared the stated aim of promoting greater respect for Vande Mataram may not be achieved. Tharoor noted that President Droupadi Murmu had given assent to the Vande Mataram amendment, which was passed in Parliament without discussion. The law requires the full singing of the Song at the beginning and end of any official function, in addition to the Anthem. Read Full Story In a post on X, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said, "As one who greatly respects both, and can sing the first two stanzas of the former (but not the other four, which were never required till now) as well as the entire anthem, I would like to point to just one practical consideration our zealots appear to have overlooked: human nature." He pointed out that Jana Gana Mana requires audiences to stand respectfully and focus their attention for 52 seconds.
"The Song in full takes 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Tamil Nadu has just decided that both will be preceded by the State Song in Tamil for another 2 minutes. Do we really expect audiences to stand still and respectfully for six minutes before and after every function, a total of 12 extra minutes? Can respect and patience be legislated?" Tharoor said. "I fear that the intent of the Bill, to promote greater respect for the Song, will not be achieved, but its opposite may well be....," he added. President Murmu has given formal assent to the Prevention of Insults to Honour (Amendment) Bill, extending equal statutory penal protection to Vande Mataram alongside the Anthem.
Parliament passed the Bill last month, with the Lok Sabha clearing it amid din. The government said The Prevention of Insults to Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 will give Vande Mataram status on a par with Jana Gana Mana and make any insult to the Song a criminal offence. Under the existing law, intentionally preventing the singing of the Anthem or causing a disturbance to an assembly engaged in such singing is punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both. A second and every subsequent conviction carries a minimum prison term of one year. The amendment extends these provisions to Vande Mataram, even as Tharoor has questioned whether making its full singing compulsory at every official function will achieve the purpose the government has set out.
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