Fact Check: Was India's National Anthem Jana Gana Mana Written to Honor British Royalty? BJP MP's Claims Spark Controversy

BJP MP Kageri's controversial remarks on Jana Gana Mana spark criticism from Congress's Priyank Kharge

Bengaluru:

BJP MP and former Karnataka Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri has erroneously claimed that India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, was composed to welcome British royalty and that there was significant support for making Vande Mataram the national anthem instead.

This statement has provoked a strong rebuke from Congress leader and minister Priyank Kharge, who dismissed it as "WhatsApp history" and "utter nonsense."

Speaking at an event in Honnavara, Karwar, Kageri stated, "I don't wish to delve into history. But there was substantial advocacy for designating Vande Mataram as our national anthem. Nevertheless, our predecessors decided that alongside Vande Mataram, Jana Gana Mana, which was written to welcome the British, should also be included. Today, we've accepted this decision and continue to honor it.

"However, Vande Mataram's contribution to India's independence struggle remains profoundly inspiring. As we commemorate its 150th anniversary, we must ensure that Vande Mataram is sung by everyone, particularly young people in educational institutions across India," he added.

Responding sharply on X, Kharge posted, "Another day, another RSS 'WhatsApp history' lesson. @BJP4Karnataka MP Sri Kageri now claims our National Anthem is "British". 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 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," Kharge continued.

"The MP says he doesn't want to revisit history. But, I strongly urge every BJP, RSS leader, worker and 'swayamsevak' should revisit history by reading the editorials of @RSSorg mouthpiece Organizer and know that RSS has a great tradition of disrespecting the Constitution, the Tricolour and the National Anthem. This viRSS needs to be cured," the Congress leader emphasized.

The Jana Gana Mana Controversy

This is not the first time politicians have claimed Jana Gana Mana was composed to honor British royalty. Historians have consistently refuted this misconception.

Rabindranath Tagore composed Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata on December 11, 1911. A Delhi Durbar was held at Coronation Park the following day to proclaim King George V as Emperor of India, leading to the misunderstanding that the song was written for this coronation event.

However, the song was actually first performed on December 28, 1911, at a Congress session. It was also sung during the foundation day celebration of Adi Brahma Samaj in February 1912.

The misunderstanding centered around the term "adhinayaka," meaning leader. In 1937, Tagore clarified in correspondence that "neither the Fifth nor the Sixth nor any George could be the maker of human destiny through the ages". "I had hailed in the song Jana Gana Mana that Dispenser of India's destiny who guides, through all rise and fall, the wayfarers, He who shows the people the way..."