PRESIDENT Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, extending statutory protection under the law to the national song Vande Mataram. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, however, has raised questions over the practical implications of requiring the full rendition of the song at official functions. In a post on social media on Tuesday, Tharoor said the amendment had been passed by Parliament without discussion and now requires the full version of the National Song to be sung at the beginning and end of official functions, in addition to the National Anthem.

 

Tharoor said he respected both Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana, adding that he could sing the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, but not the remaining four. He said those additional stanzas had not been required at official functions until now. The Congress MP then raised what he described as a practical concern over the amount of time audiences would have to stand during official programmes. According to Tharoor, Jana Gana Mana requires audiences to stand respectfully and focus their attention for about 52 seconds.