India’s Lok Sabha passed an amendment bill on July 30, 2026, amid heated debate, granting “Vande Mataram” equal status with the national anthem “Jana Gana Mana.” The bill makes insult to the song a punishable offence. According to the report, it was the first bill passed in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing monsoon session.

The measure passed by voice vote after only two lawmakers spoke, while opposition amendments were rejected. DMK member K. Kanizha opposed it, calling it a “Hindutva agenda” behind nationalism. He said making all six verses mandatory and treating refusal to sing them as a criminal offence would polarize the country and run against secular principles.

BJP’s Sambit Patra said Congress had failed to give “Vande Mataram” appropriate respect during 76 years of rule. Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the Modi government was giving the national song its due honour. Existing law provides up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both for intentionally preventing or disrupting the singing of “Jana Gana Mana”; the amendment extends those provisions to “Vande Mataram.”