Parliament on Thursday passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, that makes any insult to the national song Vande Mataram a punishable offence. The Lok Sabha cleared the legislation within minutes of its introduction amid protests and sloganeering by Opposition members.Only DMK’s Kanimozhi and BJP’s Sambit Patra participated in the discussion, while amendments moved by DMK MP A Raja were rejected by voice vote. The Bill was approved by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai amid disruptions from the Opposition benches. It was subsequently passed without an extended debate amid the uproar.The DMK strongly opposed the Bill, with Kanimozhi alleging that it was against the secular principles of the Constitution and undermined the rights and sentiments of states.“We are against criminalising anything related to Vande Mataram. This Bill pushes the rights of states and the sentiments of people in different states to the third place. It is also against the secularism of this country because our founding fathers were very clear that only the first two stanzas should be sung. Now, this Bill insists that all six stanzas be sung. It will hurt the sentiments of people of different faiths. Through this Bill, the government is trying to further polarise and divide the country,” Kanimozhi said while opposing the Bill.The BJP, however, defended the legislation, saying it was aimed at protecting national symbols and strengthening respect for India’s cultural heritage and national identity.Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha could not transact any other business because of repeated adjournments triggered by Opposition protests demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the police action against protesters at Jantar Mantar. Opposition MPs entered the Well of the House, displayed placards and raised slogans, including “chanda chor, gaddi chhod”.