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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Pak, Afghan forces trade fire along Chaman border: Report
Islamabad (PTI): A heavy exchange of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces was reported from the key Chaman border, according to a media report on Saturday.
Injuries were reported from the district hospital, but no fatalities occurred, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Officials from both sides accused each other of instigating the flare-up late on Friday night across the border in the Balochistan province.
While Pakistani officials said that Afghan forces had fired mortar shells on the Badani area, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed it was Pakistan that launched an attack on Spin Boldak, alleging that their forces were responding.
Pakistan's official sources told Dawn that Pakistani forces retaliated against the Afghan aggression and returned fire.
There were also reports of fighting on the Chaman-Kandahar highway, but these could not be immediately verified.
A senior official in Quetta confirmed on condition of anonymity that the exchange of fire started around 10 pm and continued until late at night.
The medical superintendent of Chaman district hospital said that three injured, including a woman, were brought to the medical facility.
There was neither any official word from the Inter-Services Public Relations -- Pakistan Army's media wing -- nor from the Foreign Office.
The Chaman border crossing, also known as Friendship Gate, connects Balochistan province to Afghanistan’s Kandahar.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated amidst regular allegations by Pakistan regarding the failure of the Afghan regime to deny safe havens to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists.
The two countries had agreed on a ceasefire following tensions last month, but the Foreign Office said last month that technically there was no truce as it was contingent on the Afghan Taliban stopping terrorist attacks in Pakistan, which they had failed to do.
