Bengaluru: A major controversy has erupted in Karnataka following a statement made by Uttara Kannada MP Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, claiming that Jana Gana Mana was composed to welcome the British. The remark has drawn sharp criticism from various quarters, including the Congress, which has demanded legal action.

KPCC General Secretary S. Manohar has filed a formal complaint with the Bengaluru Police Department, urging them to register a sedition case against the BJP leader. The complaint alleges that Kageri's statement amounts to an insult to the national anthem and seeks a detailed investigation into the matter.

Priyank Kharge Slams RSS and BJP

Karnataka IT and BT Minister Priyank Kharge launched a scathing attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP leadership over Kageri's remark. 

“The RSS people do not even know their own history,” Kharge said.“Read the articles in Organiser magazine and you will understand what kind of traitors you are. You have never respected the Constitution, the national flag, or the national anthem,” he added.

Kharge went on to say that the claim about Jana Gana Mana being composed to honour British royalty was entirely fabricated. 

“When they say Jana Gana Mana was composed to welcome the British, it is a history they created. Rabindranath Tagore himself clarified in 1937–39 that the song was written for our country, not for King George or any other George. But they do not read that. They consider the lies spread in Keshavakrupa and Shakhas as history,” he remarked.

He added that the questions raised so far have appeared in the RSS's own publications.“Read the writings of your own elders and you will be ashamed of how you have behaved in history,” Kharge said.

RSS Never Respected Vande Mataram or Jana Gana Mana

Continuing his criticism, Kharge accused the RSS and BJP of showing consistent disrespect towards national symbols. 

“It is true that many people were inspired by Vande Mataram. In West Bengal, countless youth joined the freedom struggle inspired by the song. Later, the leaders of independent India sat together to decide which should be the national anthem and what our national flag should represent. They debated why the Ashoka Chakra should be included, why the colours saffron, white and green were chosen, and why linguistic and regional representation mattered. But the RSS-BJP people do not study all this, and that is the problem,” he said.

Kharge further asserted that Indians take pride in Jana Gana Mana and Vande Mataram, but not the RSS. 

“They have no pride and no respect. They were the ones who rejected the Constitution and called for Manusmriti. They were the ones who described the tricolour flag as inauspicious. The RSS people do not have to listen to me; just read your own history,” he said.

Debate Intensifies Between BJP and Congress

MP Kageri's remarks have now ignited a fresh political debate between the BJP and Congress in Karnataka. While Congress leaders have condemned the statement and sought criminal action, BJP supporters have yet to issue an official clarification. The controversy over the national anthem has once again brought ideological divisions between the two parties into sharp focus.

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