Jana Gana Mana was composed to welcome British, claims BJP MP; Priyank Kharge calls it 'nonsense'
Bengaluru: Uttara Kannada BJP MP and former Karnataka Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri has stirred controversy by claiming that Jana Gana Mana, India’s national anthem, was written “to welcome the British.”
Speaking at an event in Honnavar to commemorate 150 years of Vande Mataram, Kageri said both Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana held equal importance. “There were strong demands to make Vande Mataram the national anthem. But our ancestors decided to keep both Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana, which was composed to welcome the British. We have accepted this,” he said.
Reacting sharply, Karnataka Minister for Panchayat Raj and IT-BT Priyank Kharge dismissed Kageri’s claim as “utter nonsense” and a “WhatsApp history lesson” inspired by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Citing historical facts, Kharge noted that Rabindranath Tagore had written Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata in 1911, and its first stanza later became Jana Gana Mana.
“It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Indian National Congress in Calcutta—not as a royal tribute. Tagore also clarified in 1937 & 1939 that it hails the ‘Dispenser of India’s destiny’ and ‘could never be George V, George VI, or any other George’,” Priyank said in a post on X on Thursday.
Another day, another RSS “WhatsApp history” lesson.@BJP4Karnataka MP Sri. Kageri now claims our National Anthem is “British.”
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) November 6, 2025
Utter Nonsense.
•Sri. Tagore wrote the hymn Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata in 1911; its first stanza became Jana Gana Mana.
•it was first sung on 27 Dec… pic.twitter.com/oimSw8IQvl
Kharge further urged BJP and RSS members to “revisit history” by reading the editorials of the RSS mouthpiece Organizer, accusing the RSS of having “a great tradition of disrespecting the Constitution, the Tricolour, and the National Anthem.”
“This viRSS needs to be cured,” he said, taking a swipe at the organisation.
The Union government is celebrating 150 years of Vande Mataram. According to the Press Information Bureau, it is believed that Bankimchandra Chatterji wrote it during the “auspicious occasion of Akshaya Navami” on November 7, 1875.
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Xi, Trump reach series of new common understandings: China's foreign ministry
Beijing (PTI): Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump had an in-depth exchange of views on major issues concerning the two countries and the world, and reached a series of new common understandings, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday.
Xi and Trump, who is on a three-day visit to China, met twice on Thursday and discussed a range of bilateral and global issues.
Trump is due to leave on Friday after a luncheon meeting with Xi.
Summing up the outcomes of Trump’s visit to Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the two presidents had an in-depth exchange of views on major issues concerning the two countries and the world and reached a series of new common understandings.
They agreed on a new vision of building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability to provide strategic guidance for bilateral relations over the next three years and beyond.
The two presidents also agreed to promote the steady, sound and sustainable development of China-US relations, and bring more peace, prosperity and progress to the world, said a statement by the ministry’s spokesperson.
Trump visited China at the invitation of Xi.
The two presidents are meeting in person again for the first time since their Busan meeting last October, and it is the first visit to China by a US president in nine years, the statement said.
On Thursday, President Xi held a welcome ceremony and a banquet for Trump, held talks and visited the Temple of Heaven with him.
VIDEO | Beijing: On second day of bilateral talks, US President Donald Trump (@POTUS) thanks Chinese President Xi Jinping for 'incredible' China trip.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 15, 2026
Trump says, "Thank you very much. This has been an incredible visit. I think a lot of good has come of it. We've made some… pic.twitter.com/7A7lbEzLdC
