New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry on Wednesday issued new rules mandating that ‘Vande Mataram’, the national song, be played before the national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ at all government events and in all schools across the country.
Under the revised guidelines, all persons must stand when ‘Vande Mataram’ is played at official functions. The song will also be played at civilian award ceremonies, including the Padma awards, and at events attended by the President during their arrival and departure.
The directive further states that ‘Vande Mataram’ will be played in public spaces such as cinema halls, though standing will not be mandatory in such cases.
Significantly, all six stanzas of the song — including the four that were dropped in 1937 — will now be played as part of the protocol.
Sources had earlier indicated that the government planned to extend provisions of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, which governs respect for the national anthem, to also cover the national song. Under the law, any person who disrupts or prevents others from showing respect to the anthem — and now the national song — can face imprisonment of up to three years.
The directive is expected to reignite political debate. The issue had sparked a sharp exchange last year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of aligning with Muhammad Ali Jinnah in opposing the song on the grounds that it could “irritate Muslims.” (Agencies)
