Minister Priyank Kharge accuses VHP, BJP, Bajrang Dal for ‘igniting’ Mandya flag row

BENGALURU: Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge accused Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bajrang Dal for ‘igniting’ the controversy over the Hanuman flag hoisting  at Keragodu village in Mandya district.

“Mandya is not on the boil. The fire is being ignited by VHP, BJP, Bajrang Dal, and the likes of them, backed by RSS. For them, the National Flag does not have any importance”, Kharge said.

He criticized them for meddling in gram panchayat proceedings, sparking tensions in the region. “Why are they interfering in gram panchayat proceedings? Very clearly, the flag post was meant to hoist the Kannada flag or the National flag. With malicious intent, they have put up a saffron flag”, the minister said. “People are free to put anything in their houses. But you cannot put up anything on the government property,” he added.

The officials from the Mandya district removed the saffron flag bearing an image of Lord Hanuman from a 108-foot flagpole in Keragodu village on Sunday. The local gram panchayat has said that permission was given to the Sri Gowri Shankar Seva Trust, which erected the flagpole, only to hoist either the national tricolour or the Kannada flag.

However, the BJP and Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) conducted a protest rally from the village to the District Collector’s office, demanding that the flag be hoisted back.

In his response to the issue, Chief Minister Siddaramiah had said that it was not right to hoist the bhagwa flag instead of the Indian flag. Accusing the BJP of plotting against the state government by intimidating people in the village, the CM said, “It is no accident that the Hanuman flag is hoisted where the national flag should have been hoisted, deliberately violating the rules and protesting against the government”. (ANI)