Tri-colour unfurls over small victory

AUGUST 6: In a one time exception for August 9, 1997, the Union Government has amended the Flag Code of India. This will now enable the Mah...

AUGUST 6: In a one time exception for August 9, 1997, the Union Government has amended the Flag Code of India. This will now enable the Maharashtra government’s celebration of the golden jubilee of India’s Independence to go off without a hitch.

The Sena-BJP was all set to violate the Flag Code by unfurling the national tricolour on the evening of August 9, during its Golden Jubilee celebrations, a week ahead of Independence Day. Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral is presiding at the state government’s ceremonies the same evening. Although, the authorities are yet undecided about who will finally unfurl the national flag, their agenda has little room for a flag ceremony in the morning. However, according to the Flag Code, the national tricolour can be unfurled only after sunrise and before noon. It must be lowered before sunset. But just in the nick of time, perhaps to prevent an embarrassment to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, has allowed the “unrestricted display of the national flag” on August 9. This means that the tricolour can now be hoisted even after dark.

However, the one time exception for August 9, does not relax the display of the national flag from private cars. The privilege of flying the national flag on motor cars will be limited to the dignitaries specified in the Flag Code. The one-day amendment of the Flag Code is a victory, however small, being claimed for itself by the BPYC president Charan Singh Sapra. He had expressed outrage last week at the state government’s plan to hoist the national flag in the evening.

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However, the BPYC has had considerably less success in persuading Gujral to stay away from the celebrations. So the Prime Minister will still have to face flags of a different colour on his arrival in Mumbai on Friday. According to Sapra, the BPYC plans a morcha to August Kranti Maidan not only with black flags, but also with black scarves across their mouths in a silent protest. “Now with Bal Thackeray’s ban on Ram Vilas Paswan, combined with their attacks on Dalits and opposition leaders, it should be clear to the PM that they believe in mobocracy rather than democracy. Despite that they make it easy for them by amending the Flag Code, ” Sapra added. The BPYC, meanwhile, has been joined by another fire-fighting arm of the Congress the Seva Dal.

The SD has dashed off a telegram to the Prime Minister asking him to stay away from the celebrations. Raking up an old controversy, it has now attacked former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for his confessional statement, allegedly naming freedom fighters before the second class magistrate of the British Court at Bateshwar in Agra district. According to its vice president Subodh Solanki, “The Seva Dal is concerned with a fact of history and not unfounded allegations.” They have demanded that the RSS either deny this incident, or else apologise.