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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TCS orders probe, engages external experts in Nashik Case
Mumbai: Tata Consultancy Services on Friday said it has initiated a formal internal investigation into allegations linked to its Nashik unit and engaged independent external experts to ensure transparency in the process.
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director K Krithivasan was quoted by The Observer Post as saying that the company has appointed Deloitte and Trilegal as independent counsel to support the probe. The internal investigation is being led by Aarthi Subramanian.
The company has constituted a supervisory committee chaired by independent director Keki Mistry, which will oversee the process. The committee will also review findings and monitor the implementation of recommendations.
Krithivasan said a preliminary review of the company’s internal systems and records had not revealed any complaints of the nature being alleged through its ethics or POSH channels.
He also clarified that an employee named in media reports, Nida Khan, was not part of the human resources function and did not hold any leadership role. He informed that she worked as a process associate.
The company has also rejected reports suggesting that operations at the Nashik facility had been suspended. It asserted that the unit continues to function without disruption with a zero-tolerance policy towards misconduct.
