While the BJP has been promoting the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign across the country ahead of the Independence Day on August 15, the party's Kerala unit has found itself mired in a controversy over alleged insult to the national flag.
A viral video doing rounds on social media purportedly shows several Tricolour flags dumped in a corner of the BJP district office in Kasaragod. This has sparked widespread outrage on social networking platforms, with users demanding legal action against culprits.
The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the CPI(M), has lodged a police complaint, seeking action against those responsible.
Insulting the National Flag is a criminal offence under The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, whether it is intentional or not. The incident came to light two days after Union minister J.P. Nadda said insulting the national symbols would attract strict legal action.
BJP constantly flags incidents related to disrespect to the National Anthem and the National Song. It now remains to be seen what organisation-level action will be taken by the party against those responsible for the alleged disrespect to the National Flag.
Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar recently said that national symbols are important for the nation as they glorify the country, its history, culture and future.
On August 5, a complaint was filed in Jammu against PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti for allegedly dishonouring the national flag. Social activist Neeraj Sharma alleged that she held the Tricolour upside down while protesting in Srinagar on August 4 over the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A in 2019.
Recently, the Parliament passed an amendment to the The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, making any obstruction or insult to Vande Mataram a criminal offence.
