BJP MP links 'Jana Gana Mana' to British; stirs row
What's the story
Karnataka Congress leader Priyank Kharge has slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri for his controversial remarks about India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. At a public event, Kageri said the anthem was written to welcome the British. "I don't want to revisit history. Calls to make Vande Mataram the national anthem were strong. But our ancestors decided to keep Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana, which was composed to welcome the British. We've accepted this," Kageri said.
Historical context
Kharge rebuts Kageri's claims
Taking to X, Kharge called Kageri's claims a "WhatsApp history lesson" and "utter nonsense." The Congress leader clarified that Rabindranath Tagore wrote Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata in 1911 and its first stanza became Jana Gana Mana. He said it was first sung on December 28, 1911, at the Indian National Congress in Calcutta, and not as a tribute to royalty.
Anthem interpretation
Tagore's clarifications in 1937, 1939
Kharge also referred to Tagore's clarifications in 1937 and 1939. According to him, the poet had said that the anthem praises the "Dispenser of India's destiny" and could never be a tribute to King George V or any other monarch. "I strongly urge every BJP, RSS leader....to revisit history by reading the editorials of...Organizer and know that RSS has a great tradition of disrespecting the Constitution, Tricolour and National Anthem," Kharge said.