Mukesh Khanna Wants ‘Vande Mataram’ As National Anthem, Says ‘Jana Gana Mana’ Was A Tribute To Queen Elizabeth

Mukesh Khanna has called for ‘Vande Mataram’ to replace ‘Jana Gana Mana’ as India’s National Anthem, making a strong claim about Rabindranath Tagore’s song.

Actor Mukesh Khanna has renewed his call for ‘Vande Mataram’ to replace ‘Jana Gana Mana’ as India’s National Anthem.

Source : PTI

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Actor Mukesh Khanna demands 'Vande Mataram' replace 'Jana Gana Mana'.
• Khanna claims 'Jana Gana Mana' honors Queen Elizabeth, not India.
• He observes 'Vande Mataram' gaining prominence, being sung in schools.
• Khanna is known for frequently making outspoken public remarks.

Actor Mukesh Khanna has sparked fresh debate with his call to replace India’s National Anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana’, with ‘Vande Mataram’. Speaking to IANS, the actor made a series of strong claims about the origins of the anthem and said he wants ‘Vande Mataram’ to take its place.

Mukesh Khanna Calls For ‘Vande Mataram’ To Replace ‘Jana Gana Mana’

Khanna said he had first raised the demand several years ago and continues to stand by it. He also claimed that ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was written in tribute to Queen Elizabeth.

He said, “I have said this three years ago that ‘Vande Mataram’ should be made a national anthem.’Jana Gana Mana’ is not the national anthem of our country. It is a tribute to Queen Elizabeth. Rabindranath Tagore wrote a song in praise of her. We have accepted it. Bhagyavidhata, Punjab, Singh. It is not ours. ‘Vande Mataram’ is ours. Lata ji sang it so beautifully. I had a meeting with Kalyanji Anandji bhai. It has been two years since I have read it. I have recorded a Vande Mataram song for seven minutes which should become iconic”.

The actor went on to say that he wants the change to happen as soon as possible. He also spoke about what he sees as the growing prominence of ‘Vande Mataram’.

“And I want that as soon as possible, ‘Jana Gana Mana’ should be removed from our country. ‘Vande Mataram’ should be brought. And Modi ji has started work in this direction. It is now compulsory in every school, in every function. ‘Vande Mataram’ will be sung first, and that complete song, some parts of which were removed in between. So I am happy that ‘Vande Mataram’ is rising. My song has been released in six months”.

Actor Known For His Frank And Fiery Views

This is not the first time Khanna has attracted attention for his outspoken remarks. The actor, best known for playing the iconic 1990s superhero Shaktimaan, has frequently made headlines for expressing his views without hesitation.

Earlier, he took aim at comedian Samay Raina after the latter referred to Khanna’s famous character during his ‘Still Alive’ show. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Khanna said that Samay should sit on a donkey and called him a “Kutte ki dum” (a dog’s tail)”.

The exchange came shortly after Samay had spoken about “irrelevant people” trying to grab the spotlight during the controversy surrounding ‘India’s Got Latent’. However, the episode took an unexpected turn later, with Mukesh Khanna himself collaborating with the comedian for an advertisement.

(With inputs from IANS)

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