During a special discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday to mark the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’, Union Home Minister Amit Shah mentioned some unacceptable incidents related to insult of the national anthem in the House. During the discussion, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh requested that authentic information about these incidents be tabled in the House. In response, Amit Shah submitted a document to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat detailing incidents of various public representatives and people associated with political parties refusing to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ or behaving inappropriately while it was being sung.
What did Amit Shah say in Rajya Sabha?
During the discussion in Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that when ‘Vande Mataram’ is sung in Parliament, many members of the INDIA alliance, who are sitting in the Lok Sabha, walk out. The opposition objected to this and demanded the Home Minister to provide evidence. Then Amit Shah said that he will give evidence to the House by the evening as to which members leave the House while ‘Vande Mataram’ is being sung.
Home Minister mentioned an incident of 1992
In the Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that in 1992, BJP MP Shriram Naik had again raised the issue of singing ‘Vande Mataram’ in Parliament through a short-lived discussion. At that time, Leader of the Opposition Lal Krishna Advani had prominently told the Lok Sabha Speaker that ‘Vande Mataram’ should be sung in the House because the Constituent Assembly had accepted it. After this, the Lok Sabha unanimously decided to start singing ‘Vande Mataram’ in the Lok Sabha.
Amit Shah claimed that at that time, when he started singing ‘Vande Mataram’, many people from the INDIA alliance said that they would not sing ‘Vande Mataram’, and he also observed that when ‘Vande Mataram’ was sung in Parliament, many members of the INDIA alliance, who were sitting in the Lok Sabha, walked out.
Uproar in the House over Amit Shah’s speech
Throughout his speech, there was a huge uproar in the Rajya Sabha, and the situation continued to deteriorate. Meanwhile, some opposition MPs demanded Union Home Minister Amit Shah to provide evidence for his statements. Then, Union Home Minister Amit Shah insisted that he would give all the evidence by the evening. After this, it has come to light that the Home Minister has presented a document which has a date-wise record of the incidents when opposition leaders refused to sing “Vande Mataram” in Parliament.
Key dates covered in the document:
1. December 8, 2025: Congress MP Imran Masood refuses to sing “Vande Mataram”, citing religious beliefs.
2. December 8, 2025: National Conference Agha Syed Mehdi refused to sing the national anthem during a parliamentary discussion.
3. 2019: Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rehman Burke said he will not sing “Vande Mataram” during the Lok Sabha oath taking ceremony.
4. 2025: Ziaur Rehman Burke supported his grandfather’s stance and refused to sing the national anthem.
5. 2018: Only one verse of “Vande Mataram” was reportedly sung at a Congress rally while waiting for Rahul Gandhi to arrive.
6. 2019: Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Arif Masood refused to sing the national anthem due to religious reasons.
7. 2022: Congress leader Siddaramaiah directs party workers not to sing “Vande Mataram” at the Constitution Day event.
8. 2025: Samajwadi Party demands repeal of the order making “Vande Mataram” mandatory in Maharashtra schools.
9. 2025: RJD MLA Saud Alam refused to stand during the national anthem in the assembly.