Vande Mataram to be performed before Jana Gana Mana:Govt issues second directive in 5 months, States told to strictly follow norms

The central government has issued fresh directions to all states, Union Territories and central ministries regarding the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, and the National Song, Vande Mataram. The Ministry said the existing rules already specify the occasions on which both must be sung or played. According to the new directions, if both are performed at the same event, Vande Mataram must be presented first, followed by Jana Gana Mana. States that also have a state song must follow the prescribed order. A letter outlining these directions was sent to all states and central ministries on 9 July, and its details were made public on Friday. All states have been directed to ensure strict compliance with the original lyrics, correct pronunciation, and approved manner of presenting both the National Anthem and the National Song. To avoid any errors, the official text and correct pronunciation of both have been made available on the Ministry’s website. Government issued a similar order on 28 January Bankim Chandra wrote in 1875, published in Anandamath Vande Mataram, the national song of India, was written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee on Akshaya Navami, 7 November 1875. It first appeared in his magazine Bangadarshan in 1882 as part of his novel Anandamath. In 1896, Rabindranath Tagore sang Vande Mataram on stage at the Indian National Congress session. This was the first time the song was publicly sung on a national scale. Thousands of people present were moved to tears. Vande Mataram is a Sanskrit phrase meaning, “O Mother, I bow to you.” During the Indian independence movement, Vande Mataram became the slogan of freedom fighters struggling to free India from colonial rule. Vande Mataram tableau taken out in the Republic Day parade The theme of the main parade on the 77th Republic Day of India in Delhi was Vande Mataram. The Ministry of Culture presented a tableau celebrating 150 years of Vande Mataram. This tableau won the Best Tableau award in the Ministries and Departments category. Controversy related to Vande Mataram The controversy erupted during the winter session. Last year, the central government organized a special discussion during the winter session of Parliament to mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. The issue sparked uproar in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The Congress party accused the government of using the national anthem as an issue in the upcoming West Bengal elections. The BJP accused the Congress party of cutting parts of Vande Mataram as part of appeasement politics. The BJP shared a letter written by the country’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to Subhas Chandra Bose in 1937. The BJP alleged that Nehru had implied in the letter that certain lines of Vande Mataram might offend Muslims. During a debate in Parliament, former BJP president J.P. Nadda said the national song should be accorded the same status as the national anthem and the national flag. December 8, 2025: PM says Congress tore Vande Mataram into pieces PM Modi initiated the debate on Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha. In his hour-long speech, he said, “Congress capitulated to the Muslim League and tore Vande Mataram into pieces. Nehru feared it might hurt Muslims.” The PM asked, “Why was Vande Mataram betrayed? What was that force whose will overrode even the sentiments of revered Bapu? PM Modi said Vande Mataram 121 times in his one-hour speech.” ​