Karnataka BJP MP and former speaker of the state Legislative Assembly, Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, has stirred a controversy by suggesting that the Indian national anthem Jana Gana Mana—composed by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore—was a welcome song for British officials during colonial rule.

Kageri, the MP from the coastal Karnataka Lok Sabha constituency of Uttara Kannada, made the controversial remarks at an event to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the composition of Vande Mataram on Thursday.

“I will not venture to dig up history again. If we look back, Vande Mataram should have been our national anthem. However, our forefathers decided that Vande Mataram can be retained alongside Jana Gana Mana—a welcome song for the British officials—and we have accepted it,” Kageri said.

Pri

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