Oppose flawed Vande Mataram Bill: SPCSS-TN

CHENNAI: The State Platform for Common School System–Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN) has appealed to Members of Parliament to oppose the proposed 'Prevention of insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026'.

The organisation contends that the Bill, which seeks to adopt the complete Vande Mataram song from Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel Anandamath as India's National Song, is inconsistent with the spirit of the Constitution.

In its appeal, SPCSS-TN distinguishes between the patriotic slogan "Vande Mataram," which played a significant role during India's freedom movement, and the full song from Anandamath, arguing that only the slogan gained nationwide acceptance.

The organisation states that the complete song portrays the nation through the imagery of a deity associated with a particular faith and does not explicitly refer to "India" or "Bharat" as recognised under Article 1 of the Constitution.

The platform further argues that making the full song the National Song could infringe upon the constitutional guarantees of liberty of thought, belief, faith and worship under the Preamble and Article 25. It also cites Article 13, which prohibits laws that abridge Fundamental Rights, and Article 51A (h), which promotes scientific temper and humanism.

The appeal urges parliamentarians to reject the Bill and safeguard the Constitution, its secular character, and the country's fundamental rights.