BHOPAL: The state Congress on Monday filed a police complaint against the ruling BJP for 'dishonour to the National Flag' at Independence-Day events at multiple locations.
Among the instances Congress has pointed out are the BJP flag flying higher than the Triclolour at the saffron party HQ in Bhopal, party office in Agar and the flag being installed upside down on the vehicle of higher education minister Mohan Yadav in Rajgarh.
The opposition party seeks a case under section 3 of Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act 1971.
PCC media department general secretary KK Mishra said, "The Congress party has submitted a complaint, with relevant evidence, of purposeful dishonour to the national flag on the nation's 75th Independence Day. Unless police register an FIR immediately, we will approach the high court and Supreme Court."
"It is understandable if the mistake occurred at one place. But dishonour of the national flag at five different places on the same day is a conspiracy," Mishra argued.
In Agar, where the Triclolour was seen flying below the BJP flag, the district BJP president had said the party flag had been placed on top of the building many years ago, and there was no need to change the placement of the two flags.
At Deendayal Parisar, the BJP headquarters in Bhopal, the Tricolour was hoisted in the garden in front of the building while the party flag fluttered on the roof and first-floor terrace.
Congress also pointed out that in Rajgarh, the administration has suspended a driver although minister Yadav, the collector and SP were in the vehicle while he took the salute at the I-Day event. The buck has been passed to the small fry, said Congress.
On Sunday evening, KK Mishra had tweeted, "This is not an error, it's a conspiracy. The Tricolour was intentionally hoisted under the BJP flag in Agar-Malwa and BJP state headquarters. This is a serious offence... It was this ideology that led to the hoisting of the saffron flag on the night of August 14, 1947." Congress' MLA from Bhopal (Central) seat Arif Masood sat on a silent protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue demanding action for insult of the Tricolor.
Defending his party, state BJP general secretary Bhagwandas Sadnani said, "Congress party kept people away from Tricolour for decades. It is BJP that has given the common man the pride of hoisting the National Flag. Our party patriarch Shyama Prasad Mukherjee committed his life to the Tricolour. Congress is unnecessarily creating an issue that does not exist. Its bankruptcy is evident through its unsubstantiated allegations.
