Separate state flag: BJP govt not to pursue Cong proposal

Team Udayavani, Aug 29, 2019, 6:16 PM IST

Bengaluru: The new BJP government in Karnataka indicated on Thursday it would not pursue with the Centre, the previous Congress government’s proposal for a separate state flag that was pending before it.

The government is also mulling over celebrating birth anniversary of prominent personalities in a “different way”, as the present practice depicts them only as “community icons”.

“Already it is clear in the flag code that- one flag for the country, having a cultural flag is different, having a constitutional flag is different. Tricolour is the only constitutional flag. There was no opposition for having a cultural flag, but constitutionally there is only one flag for the country and that is the tricolor flag,” Minister for Kannada and Culture C T Ravi said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters, after holding a meeting with officials on assuming office, he said, “… we can have Kannada flag as a cultural flag, constitutionally there is no such provision for state flag according to flag code.”

Asked whether the state government would not pursue the proposal that was before the central government, he merely said, “the country is one and we only think about unity.”

Flagging off the “Kannadiga pride” ahead of the assembly polls, the then Congress government headed by Siddaramaiah in March 2018 had unveiled the proposed official state flag for Karnataka, and had sent it to central government for approval.

Siddaramaiah government had requested the Centre to include the Karnataka flag in the schedule of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1950.

The ‘Naada Dwaja’ (state’s flag) in hues of yellow, white and red, had the state’s emblem ‘Gandaberunda’ or the two-headed mythological bird, at its centre.

A committee formed by the then government had recommended the separate flag for Karnataka, discounting any constitutional or legal hurdles for it.

However, in May 2018 following Siddaramaiah demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve the state flag, a Home Ministry official had said the Karnataka government’s proposal to approve an official flag for the state was put on hold as the election code of conduct came into force for upcoming Assembly polls.

The issue had gone to the back burner as Congress lost in the assembly polls.