File photo: Rajya Sabha proceedings during the Monsoon Session of Parliament
NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill proposing up to three-year jail term and/or fine for anyone preventing or disturbing the rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’, even as the opposition benches remained empty in view of almost all opposition MPs staging a walkout.The opposition parties – which included Congress, TMC, DMK, RJD Left, Sena UBT – were pressing their demand for home minister Amit Shah to make a statement on police action against NEET paper leak protesters. Angry MPs stood up and raised slogans. At one point of time, TMC MP Derek O’Brien even rushed towards the deputy chairman Harivansh, to make a point of order, but the Parliament security personnel created a barrier and also stood guard in the well.During the debate, Chair called out to opposition MPs who had given notices to speak, but be it DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, TMC’s Sagarika Ghose or RJD’s Manoj Kumar Jha, they tried to steer the discussion to raising the “brutal force” used on students. Even though the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill is a home ministry bill, it was not Amit Shah but
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Nityanand Rai who piloted it Wednesday.RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha spoke briefly, questioning the criminalisation of insult to the national song, saying that “reverence cannot be legislated”. Junior home minister Nityanand Rai, while replying to the debate, criticised Congress for undermining Vande Mataram and linked it to its policy of appeasement. “Opposing the Vande Mataram amounts to boosting the morale of ‘Bharat tere tukde honge’ gang,” Rai added.AAP didn’t walk out with the rest of the opposition, and MP Sanjay Singh spoke during the debate. He questioned “RSS’s refusal to hoist the tricolour at its office for 52 years”.While BJP MPs welcomed the criminalisation of insults to national song, AIADMK MP criticised the practice in Tamil Nadu to play the state anthem after the national song and the anthem.
