The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill criminalising insults to the national song, Vande Mataram, a day after the Rajya Sabha cleared the legislation.

The bill will now be sent for presidential assent, after which it will become law.

The 2026 Prevention of Insults to National Honour Amendment Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha through a voice vote amid protests by Opposition MPs demanding a discussion on police action against youth protesters last week.

The protests were held against the alleged mismanagement in conducting competitive exams.

The bill seeks to provide Vande Mataram with the same statutory protection as the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. It states that intentionally preventing the singing of the national song, or disrupting an assembly singing it can be punished with imprisonment of up to three years, a fine or both.

At present, the 1971 Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act provides that insulting the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, the national flag or the Constitution is punishable with up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine or both.

The bill faced opposition from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, with MP Kanimozhi accusing the government of using it to advance a “Hindutva agenda” under the cover of nationalism, ANI reported.

“This song goes against the secularism of this country,” she said, adding that the bill disrespects people from...

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