Synopsis: The row over the Bharat Mata portrait at Kerala Raj Bhavan deepened Saturday after BJP leader N. Sivarajan declared the national flag should be replaced with a saffron one. His remarks, made during a BJP protest in Palakkad countering CPI(M) and Congress opposition to the portrait, triggered public outrage and police complaints
The ongoing controversy over the display of a Bharat Mata portrait at Kerala Raj Bhavan escalated on Saturday, after a senior BJP leader’s provocative remarks sparked fresh outrage and police complaints.
The incident unfolded at a protest programme organised by the BJP state unit in Palakkad, part of their statewide ‘Proud of Bharat Mata’ campaign.
The event was a counter to protests led by the CPI(M) and Congress against a Bharat Mata portrait featuring a saffron flag — widely associated with the RSS — that was displayed at a recent Raj Bhavan function.
However, the event took a contentious turn when N. Sivarajan, former BJP national executive member and current Palakkad Municipal Council member, publicly declared that the Indian national flag should be replaced with the saffron flag.
“It is my personal opinion that the tri-colour national flag should give way to the saffron flag,” Sivarajan stated.
This story was originally published in thesouthfirst.com. Read the full story here.
