Govt gears up for clash over Vande Mataram row, big reforms in Winter Session: Report

The government is planning to hold a day-long discussion on a row over India's national song, Vande Mataram, at the beginning of the Winter session itself. The opposition, on the other hand, is gearing up to take on the government over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls during the upcoming Parliament session, potentially disrupting the proceedings in the House.

“The government wants to have a discussion on Vande Mataram at the beginning of the session itself. It will talk to the Opposition about it at the all-party meeting on Sunday,” a government source told The Indian Express. The source added that the proposed discussion will be a part of commemorating the 150 years of the song.

The row kicked off when Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted the Congress and alleged that "important stanzas" of the national song were dropped in 1937.  He said that this "sowed the seeds of Partition" and that the "divisive mindset" was still a challenge for India.

Responding to Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the BJP and the RSS avoided the national song.

Not just Vande Mataram, the BJP and its allies are likely to push for reforms in sectors such as atomic energy, higher education, national highways, and insurance. The Higher Education Commission of India Bill, 2025, aims to set up a commission to coordinate and set standards in higher education and research. The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill seeks to boost insurance penetration, accelerate growth, and improve ease of doing business.

The National Highways Bill amendment focuses on faster, more transparent land acquisition, while changes to the Atomic Energy Bill would allow non-government entities to operate atomic power plants alongside the Nuclear Power Corporation of India.

The legislative business for the Winter Session will be discussed at the meeting on Sunday, whereas the members of the opposition INDI alliance are likely to meet afterwards to discuss the agenda for the session.

The month-long Monsoon session also witnessed adjournments and disruptions over the Opposition's demands for a discussion on SIR in Bihar. Manickam Tagore, the Congress's Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha,  said that the Opposition wants to have discussions on issues such as SIR rollout, unfair Election Commission, rising pollution in the National Capital, flood relief for states that have faced natural calamities, and unemployment.

The government, however, has announced that it will not take up the amendment that proposed to include Chandigarh under Article 240 of the Constitution. This would have allowed Chandigarh to have its own independent administrator—similar to a Lieutenant-Governor in several other Union Territories—and placed it directly under the Centre’s control.