Parliament Winter Session LIVE: FM Sitharaman introduces Health Security Cess Bill in Rajya Sabha

Parliament Winter Session LIVE updates day 6: Follow all the latest updates from Parliament as government and opposition debate key issues

2:51 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: TMC MP questions scope and name of Health Security Cess Bill

Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale criticised the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025, calling it a “direct attack on federalism.” He raised concerns over the Bill’s vague provisions, questioning what prevents the Centre from adding essential items to the list of goods and why the Bill lacks a Bengali title ahead of West Bengal elections.

2:43 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: DMK MP references Nehru's letter to Subhash Chandra Bose

DMK MP A Raja cited Jawaharlal Nehru’s letter to Subhash Chandra Bose during the ongoing special discussion on 150 years of Vande Mataram. 

2:35 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE updates: Congress flags concerns over Health Security Cess Bill

Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil, speaking on the Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025, said the levy undermines India’s federal structure as the Centre retains the cess while States get nothing. He questioned why harmful goods like pan masala aren’t banned instead of taxed, criticised the Bill’s bilingual title, and highlighted its lack of clarity.

2:31 PM

PM takes Nehru's name in every debate, says Gaurav Gogoi as house debates Vande Mataram

During the Lok Sabha debate on Vande Mataram, Congress deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi accused PM Modi of repeatedly invoking Nehru and Congress while ignoring citizens’ safety. He said, “Congress gave Vande Mataram its national importance. PM Modi cites Nehru and Congress in every debate, yet fails to address Delhi blasts or public safety in Delhi and Pahalgam.”

2:26 PM

DMK’s A Raja questions govt on Vande Mataram and nation’s unity

Responding to PM Modi’s speech, DMK leader A. Raja questioned where the Prime Minister sees division in the country and whether Vande Mataram contributed to the Partition. He also sought clarification on the original vision behind the national song.

2:19 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav speaks on Vande Mataram

"Vande Mataram is not just for recitation but for living its values. How will those who never participated in the freedom struggle understand its importance? They are not patriots but anti-national," said Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav. 

2:16 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: DMK MP A Raja addresses Parliament

DMK MP A Raja joins special discussion on Vande Mataram in Lok Sabha

2:13 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: CM Mamata welcomes PM Modi's Vande Mataram discussion in Lok Sabha

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to hold a Lok Sabha discussion on ‘Vande Mataram’, stating that her party has no objections.

2:10 PM

Vande Mataram inspired revolutionaries and united Indians: Akhilesh Yadav

SP MP Akhilesh Yadav said Vande Mataram played a key role in uniting the people and instilling fear among the British. "Wherever the song was sung, the British accused people of treason and sent them to jail," he noted. He added that although the song was banned between 1905 and 1908, revolutionaries kept it alive in their hearts and minds, spreading the movement further.

2:08 PM

Nirmala Sitharaman introduces 'The Health Security se National Security Cess Bill', 2025

Rajya Sabha reconvenes with Deputy Chairman Harivansh presiding. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduces the Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025, clarifying that it imposes a cess,not an excise duty on demerit goods and does not affect the existing GST framework.

1:54 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE updates: BJP trying to own freedom fighters, says Akhilesh Yadav

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of trying to claim and appropriate freedom fighters who, he said, had no association with the party.

 

Speaking in Parliament, Yadav also said Vande Mataram served as a powerful unifying force, and its growing popularity so unsettled the British that they eventually banned it.

1:50 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE updates: Akhilesh Yadav addresses Parliament

As Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi concludes his address, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav begins addressing the Parliament, joining the discussion on Vande Mataram. 

1:47 PM

Winter Session LIVE: Gogoi flags ‘vote chori’, Delhi blast during Vande Mataram discussion

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi raised the ‘vote chori’ allegations, the Delhi blast incident and the rupee’s decline during the Vande Mataram discussion, alleging that the government was avoiding debate on these matters. BJP MPs and Jagdambika Pal, who was chairing the session, objected to his remarks and urged him to stay on the topic.

1:41 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE updates: BJP does not understand anything about Bengal, says Gogoi

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticised the BJP, saying the party “does not understand Bengal” and tends to label everything as “Bangladeshi”. He added that the BJP has failed to grasp what Bankim Chatterjee stood for.

1:37 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi hails Bengal and Vande Mataram

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, speaking during the discussion marking 150 years of Vande Mataram, opened his remarks by paying tribute to the “holy land of Bengal,” home to figures such as Subhash Chandra Bose, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Rabindranath Tagore. 

 

He said Bengal holds a unique place in India’s cultural history, giving the nation not only its national song but also numerous patriotic compositions. Writers and poets from the state, he noted, created works that inspired many during the freedom movement.

1:23 PM

Winter Session LIVE: Gaurav Gogoi hits out at PM Modi, says it’s his ‘habit’ to drag Nehru into every issue

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for repeatedly invoking Jawaharlal Nehru in political debates. He questioned where the Prime Minister’s political predecessors were during the 1942 Quit India Movement and other major freedom struggles.

1:20 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: PM accuses Congress of yielding to Muslim League’s opposition to Vande Mataram

Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on Vande Mataram, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Muslim League’s campaign against the national song gathered momentum in 1937, led by Mohammed Ali Jinnah. He claimed that instead of firmly rejecting the opposition, then Congress president Jawaharlal Nehru chose to “investigate” Vande Mataram just days after Jinnah’s objections — a move the PM described as a compromise at the cost of national sentiment.

1:12 PM

Winter Session LIVE: Congress fragmented Vande Mataram under pressure from Muslim League, says PM Modi

Speaking in Lok Sabha, PM Modi said it was “unfortunate” that the Congress, under pressure from the Muslim League, “compromised” on Vande Mataram and agreed to fragment the national song.

1:11 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Gaurav Gogoi recites poems written during freedom struggles

1:05 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: PM Modi questions historical neglect of Vande Mataram in Lok Sabha

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioned the neglect the national song has faced in the past. He said, “If Vande Mataram held such a profound place in our freedom movement, why was it subjected to injustice in the last century? Who were the forces that allowed their interests to outweigh the sentiments of Mahatma Gandhi?”

1:04 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: PM Modi speaks on Vande Mataram in LS; RS adjourned till 2 pm

12:59 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: PM Modi recalls Mahatma Gandhi’s revival of national spirit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the Lok Sabha that Mahatma Gandhi revived a civilisational idea that has flowed through India for thousands of years — the same sentiment reflected in Vande Mataram. He emphasised that the song was not just a political slogan but a sacred call that helped the nation break free from colonial bondage.

12:55 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: PM Modi recalls Vande Mataram’s global reach during freedom struggle

12:54 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Vande Mataram inspired millions to sacrifice for the nation, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the Lok Sabha that Vande Mataram holds a unique place in global history, as few songs have inspired crores of people across generations to fight for a cause. He said the world must recognise that even during colonial rule, India produced courageous thinkers and creators who ignited a powerful spirit of sacrifice. Taking pride in this legacy, he added, will strengthen global respect for India’s freedom struggle and its cultural heritage.

12:49 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: 'Vande Mataram' became a unifying force during Bengal Partition, says PM Modi

Debate over Vande Mataram: Speaking in Lok Sabha, PM Modi (@narendramodi) said, "After 1857, the British realised controlling India would not be easy. To maintain dominance, they pursued a divide-and-rule strategy, using Bengal as their experimental ground. During this period, Bengal's intellectual strength played a pivotal role in guiding the nation."

12:46 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: PM Modi calls 'Vande Mataram' the mantra of 'sacrifice and devotion'

12:42 PM

12:42 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: PM Modi highlights Vande Mataram's role as a rallying cry against British rule

Debate on Vande Mataram: Speaking in Lok Sabha, PM Modi said, "Vande Mataram, penned by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, was a bold expression of resistance at a time when the British sought to impose their anthem, 'God Save the Queen,' in every Indian household. The song became a rallying cry for freedom, inspiring countless Indians to rise against colonial rule and assert their identity, uniting the nation in the struggle for independence."

12:34 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: 'Vande Mataram' reminds us we belong to the nation, says PM Modi

During the Vande Mataram debate in Lok Sabha, PM Modi said, "Our Vedas teach that this earth is our mother and we are her children. This principle was echoed by Lord Shri Ram when he departed from Lanka..."

12:30 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: PM Modi hails 150 years of Vande Mataram as a symbol of freedom, inspiration

PM Narendra Modi said, "Vande Mataram has been more than a slogan—it is a mantra that fueled courage, dedication, and sacrifice during the freedom struggle. Today, as we mark 150 years of Vande Mataram, it is a moment of pride and reflection. This historic period also sees the 75th anniversary of our Constitution, the 150th birth anniversaries of Sardar Patel and Birsa Munda, the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur ji, alongside this milestone celebration of Vande Mataram."