Protecting Nationalism: India and Japan, Indira and Modi

New Delhi: In the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the BJP government passed the 'Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill'. The primary objective of this bill is to grant India’s National Song, Vande Mataram, the exact same legal status and protection currently afforded to the National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana), the National Flag, and the Constitution.

To Protect Nationalism: Indira in 1971, Modi in 2026

Under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act passed by Indira Gandhi's government in 1971, intentionally insulting the National Anthem, preventing its singing, or causing a disturbance while it is being sung are considered criminal offenses. The BJP government is amending this Act to extend those exact same penalties to anyone insulting the National Song, Vande Mataram. If passed, individuals who intentionally disrupt or insult the singing of Vande Mataram will face up to three years in prison, a fine, or both.

In early 2026, Home Ministry guidelines mandated that Vande Mataram be sung in its entirety at official government events, stipulating that the National Song should precede the National Anthem. When a petition challenging this was heard by the Supreme Court, it was dismissed on the grounds that these were merely guidelines and there was no legal penalty for non-compliance. Against this backdrop, the Modi government's new bill amends Indira's 1971 Act, making the singing of Vande Mataram mandatory in certain contexts and criminalizing any insult to it.

To those self-styled intellectuals who ask, "Why take this step now to protect Vande Mataram, so many years later?", the answer is the exact same reason Indira Gandhi brought the 1971 Act to protect the National Anthem and Flag 24 years after independence. It is our duty to address these skeptics.

July 17 – Japan, July 30 – India

On July 17, 2026, Japan's parliament (the Diet) passed a law criminalizing any insult to their national flag, the 'Hinomaru'. The Japanese law dictates that acts causing public distress or disgust—such as burning, tearing, trampling on, or throwing mud at the flag in public, as well as broadcasting such acts—are punishable offenses. The new law imposes up to two years in prison and a fine of 200,000 Yen (approx. Rs. 1.4 lakh) for offenders. Japan moved to protect its flag on July 17; India moved to protect its national song on July 21 and passed it on July 30. Why did both nations suddenly require these laws?

Japan After 1300 Years, India After 75 Years

The traditional national flag revered by the Japanese originated 1300 years ago. It evolved over time, taking its current 'Hinomaru' form in 1854. Though universally accepted by all Japanese people as their national flag, it was only officially codified into law in 1999. Because the people naturally revered it, Japan never felt the need to pass a law officially declaring it the national flag. However, as perverse elements emerged in Japan questioning whether it was indeed the national flag, the government was forced to legislate its status. And as those same perverse elements began insulting the flag, the Japanese parliament was forced to pass a law to punish them.

The irony is that, until now, Japan only had laws punishing the desecration of foreign flags. The very thought that their own flag could be insulted had never even crossed the Japanese mind. Why? "The world has not seen a race as patriotic as the Japanese. To them, their country is their religion... they place their country's honor above all else." Who said this? Swami Vivekananda, in an interview published in The Hindu on February 6, 1897. If even in a nation of such fierce patriots, perverse minds emerged requiring a law to protect the flag after 1300 years, the parallel is clear.

Similarly, in our country, there was never a thought that the National Anthem, the National Flag, or the Vande Mataram song—which fueled our freedom struggle—would ever be subjected to insult. Yet, as perverse elements emerged in India insulting the Anthem and Flag, Indira Gandhi was forced to pass a law 24 years after independence to criminalize such acts. Even though the Constituent Assembly passed a resolution stating that Vande Mataram deserves the same status and respect as the National Anthem, a perverse brand of politics eventually emerged, claiming that singing Vande Mataram would somehow induce convulsions in our secularism. Astoundingly, every political party except the BJP accommodated this perversion.

If Vande Mataram is deemed an exclusively "Hindu symbol," then the time may soon come when these same perverse minds claim that our national motto Satyameva Jayate (from the Vedas), the Supreme Court's motto Yato Dharma Tato Jaya (from the Mahabharata), or the Tamil Nadu government's official emblem (a temple tower) are all dangerous to secularism. Such modern vulgarities threaten to erase the ancient symbols of our nation, severing people from their heritage and ancestors, effectively leaving them orphaned. Just as Japan passed a law to prevent this, we are doing the same for the exact same reason. Though geographically separate, both actions are rooted in the fundamental necessity of protecting nationalism.

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