‘Jana Gana Mana’ a British anthem? Congress fact-checks BJP MP's claim

Priyank Kharge shared a clip of BJP's Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, in which he purportedly claimed that 'Jana Gana Mana' was composed to welcome the British.

Published on: Nov 6, 2025, 13:16:15 IST

By HT News Desk

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A Karnataka BJP leader has sparked a controversy after he allegedly suggested that the national anthem was "British", a claim the Congress later debunked as a RSS “WhatsApp history” lesson.

Karnataka minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge shared the clip of a BJP leader (AFP/File)

Karnataka minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge on Thursday shared a clip of BJP leader Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, in which the BJP leader purportedly claimed that 'Jana Gana Mana' was composed to welcome the British.

Kharge slammed the BJP MP saying: "Another day, another RSS “WhatsApp history” lesson. @BJP4Karnataka MP Sri. Kageri now claims our National Anthem is “British.” Utter Nonsense."

He later pointedly fact-checked Kageri's purported claim, saying that Rabindranath Tagore had penned the hymn Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata in 1911, the first stanza of which later became Jana Gana Mana.

Also Read: Delhi assembly to mark 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’ with tricolour illumination

Kharge said that the anthem was first sung on December 27, 1911 at the Indian National Congress in Calcutta, but 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," Kharge wrote.

While HT.com couldn't independently verify what Kageri said in Kannada in the viral clip, several reports claimed that the BJP leader said there was earlier chorus to make 'Vande Mataram' the national anthem.

Also Read: ‘Vande Mataram’ should be India's national anthem: Hindu religious leader

"There was a strong chorus to make Vande Mataram the national anthem. However, our ancestors decided that along with Vande Mataram, Jana Gana Mana, which was composed to welcome the British, should also be included. Today, we have accepted it and continue to follow it," NDTV quoted the leader as saying.

The BJP leader also reportedly claimed that he didn't wish to revisit history. But, Priyank Kharge lashed out at RSS functionaries over Kageri's remarks, urging them to revisit history, and claimed that the organisation had a "great tradition" of disrespecting the national anthem, flag and Constitution.

"This viRSS needs to be cured," Kharge said.

The controversy comes just a day ahead of India marking 150 years of 'Vande Mataram', the national song, on November 7. The song will be sung across 150 places on Friday, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend one such programme at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Delhi.

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