Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 11: The Union Home Ministry on Wednesday issued new rules mandating that the national song, 'Vande Mataram', be played before the national anthem, 'Jana Gana Mana', at all government events and in schools across India. The directive also requires everyone to stand during the song, while in public spaces like cinema halls, standing will not be compulsory.

The national song will now also feature at civilian awards ceremonies such as the Padma awards, and at all events attended by the President, during their arrival and departure. Notably, all six stanzas of 'Vande Mataram', including the four removed by the Congress in 1937, will be included.

Under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, disrupting the song or preventing others from respecting it can attract up to three years in jail, aligning its legal protection with the national anthem.

The decision has reignited debate over the song’s historical stanzas referencing Hindu goddesses, a topic that fueled heated exchanges between the BJP and Congress last year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accused Jawaharlal Nehru of following Muhammad Ali Jinnah in opposing the original stanzas, claiming it “irritated Muslims.” Congress leaders have countered, accusing the BJP of selective historical interpretation to gain political mileage ahead of the upcoming Bengal Assembly elections.

Composed in 1875 by Bengali author Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in his novel Anandmath, Vande Mataram celebrates India as a nurturing yet powerful mother figure. While the first two stanzas were officially adopted for national gatherings in 1937 to avoid religious sensitivities, the Home Ministry’s new directive restores the full six-stanza version, including references to goddesses Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswathi.

The move is expected to stir discussions across political and social circles, but it officially positions Vande Mataram alongside the national anthem in India’s public and ceremonial life.