Zealots appear to have overlooked human nature: Tharoor slams Govt's Vande Mataram move
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) slammed the Centre for making it mandatory to sing the Song in full, in addition
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) slammed the Centre for making it mandatory to sing the Song in full, in addition to the Anthem, at the start and ending of any official function, and said the intent of the amended law to promote greater respect for Vande Mataram may not be achieved. Tharoor noted that President Droupadi Murmu has assented to the Vande Mataram amendment, passed without discussion in Parliament, which requires the singing of the Song in full at the start and ending of any official function, in addition to the Anthem. "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," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.
'Jana Gana Mana' requires audiences to stand respectfully and focus their attention for a reasonable 52 seconds, he pointed out. "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 on X. "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....," the Congress leader 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 last month passed the bill that makes any insult to the national song Vande Mataram a punishable offence with Lok Sabha clearing the legislation amid din. The government asserted that The Prevention of Insults to Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 will grant status to Vande Mataram on par with national anthem Jana Gana Mana. It seeks to make any insult to Vande Mataram a criminal offence. The Prevention of Insults to Honour Act currently prohibited intentionally preventing the singing of the national anthem (Jana Gana Mana), or causing disturbance to any assembly engaged in such singing.
These offences are punishable with imprisonment up to three years, a fine or both. A second and every subsequent conviction is punishable with imprisonment of a minimum of one year. The Prevention of Insults to Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, extends these provisions to the national song (Vande Mataram).
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