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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SRH beat CSK by 10 runs
Hyderabad (PTI): Nitish Kumar Reddy and Eshan Malinga shared five wickets between them as hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Chennai Super Kings by 10 runs in their IPL match here on Saturday.
Defending 195, Hyderabad restricted struggling CSK to 184 for eight. CSK have crashed to fourth defeat in six matches.
Abhishek Sharma (59) and Heinrich Klaasen (59) took CSK to 194 for nine with their splendid batting. For CSK, Jamie Overton and Anshul Kamboj picked up three wickets apiece while Mukesh Choudhary bagged two.
Brief Scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 194 for 9 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 59, Heinrich Klaasen 59; Jamie Overton 3/37, Anshul Kamboj 3/22).
Chennai Super Kings: 184 for 8 in 20 overs. (Ayush Mhatre 30, Matthew Short 34; E Malinga 3/29, N Reddy 2/31).
