The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued new guidelines regarding the national song 'Vande Mataram', which mandate that audiences must stand at attention whenever it is sung or played.
According to the guidelines, if both the national anthem and 'Vande Mataram' are sung at the same event, the national song will be played first. All six stanzas of 'Vande Mataram', including the four that were removed by the Congress in 1937, will be played at official functions. The total duration for the singing of the song has been set at 190 seconds.
The guidelines also specify that the national song must be played during the unfurling of the tricolour, during the arrival and departure of the President at formal events, and before and after the President addresses the nation. Additionally, the song must be played when governors or lieutenant governors arrive or depart at formal state functions, during civilian award ceremonies, and when the national flag is brought on parade.
However, the MHA clarified that the national song is not required to be played in cinemas.
Previously, the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, applied only to the national anthem. Article 51(A) of the Constitution mandates that citizens stand to show respect for the national anthem.
These new guidelines are expected to spark debate, with several opposition parties accusing the government of using 'Vande Mataram' as a political tool. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress party had diluted the national song under pressure from the Muslim League in the years leading up to India’s independence.
