Govt Defends Modi, Says It's Not A Violation Of Flag Code
A controversy erupted after Prime Minister Narendra Modi autographed an Indian flag with Congress and sections of Twitterati accusing him of disrespecting the tricolour.
The government, however, strongly defended the Prime Minister and trashed the controversy as “mischievous and in bad taste“, saying that Modi had only signed the `flag', which is to be gifted to US President Barack Obama, drawn by a differently-abled child only to encourage a “precocious and enterprising“ talent who has defied huge odds to create a piece of art.
“A differently-abled child used toes to draw the flag. It was not a proper flag in the first place, and did not even have the Ashoka wheel. So the question of attracting the Flag Code of India, 2002 or Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, does not arise. The Prime minister, in a gesture meant to appreciate the initiative taken by the child and offer encour agement, autographed it,“ DG (media & communications), Government of India Frank Noronha said. “The entire controversy is baseless, mischievous and in bad taste,“ he said.
Earlier in the day , Modi's critics had drawn attention to the Flag Code of India and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act to accuse him of showing disrespect to the national flag. While the Flag Code states that “lettering of any kind shall not be put upon the national flag“, the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act recognises “putting any kind of inscription upon the national flag“ as “disrespect“ to the tricolour.
Congress' chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, “We are not petty like BJP . We respect the office of the PM...However high you may be, the national flag is above you, you should understand this.“
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Times View
The controversy over this episode highlights the attitude that the Indian state and many Indians have towards the national flag and other symbols of the state. The notion that free use of the flag or national symbols breeds contempt is one that is more appropriate for a colonial or imperial state. Such a state needs to awe its citizens in order to safeguard its legitimacy.
A modern democracy, on the other hand, should seek to break down the distances between people and itself. That means encouraging everyday use of national symbols, allowing people to wear their nationalism on their sleeve, literally and figuratively. That's how the US, for instance, treats its flag. It's time we changed our laws to allow a similar popular embrace of national symbols.
Social media was aflutter on Friday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi autographed `a national flag' to be gifted to the US President Barack Obama. The flag was given to celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, who was to deliver the present to Obama. Writing on the tricolour is a violation of the national flag code.
Within hours, #ModiDisrespectsTricolor began trending on Twitter . By evening, save a promoted tag, it was topping the chart as netizens hotly debated the alleged impropriety of the PM's actions and the relevance of the flag code. Prominent Congress politician Manish Tewari too pounced on the opportunity posting a critical tweet. Tewari questioned the PM's awareness of the law. Khanna too tweeted that what the PM autographed wasn't a flag at all. “It was Make in India insignia with Ashoka Chakra gears hand painted by Smile Foundation children. Not the national flag,“ he tweeted.
Flag Foundation of India CEO Commander (retd) K V Singh said that the signing was “not in good taste“ and that the ministry of home affairs should correctly advise protocol officials responsible for organising such gestures. “The Flag Code indicates that nothing can be inscribed on the flag be it paper , or fabric or any material. If it has the three colours depicted with the Ashok Chakra, it counts as a flag.It doesn't matter if the representation is artistic. When sending a flag to another head of state, one needs to be even more meticulous,“ says Singh.
