Spokesperson: Dr. Ajoy Kumar: He said that on the 75th anniversary of our Independence, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has decided to amend the National Flag Code to permit the manufacture and import of polyester national flags. This is another stark reminder that our pseudo-nationalist ruling party has no understanding of our freedom struggle. The Indian National Congress (INC) agrees with the demand of the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha for this amendment to be withdrawn and supports its decision to hold a Dhwaja Satyagraha on July 30, 2022.

The Indian tricolour (Tiranga) is a symbol of the nation’s freedom and sovereignty. Its khadi signifies how the people of India defeated the mighty British Empire using the simple charkha, a symbol of self-sufficiency, spiritual humility, national integrity, social equality, communal harmony and ahimsa. These are values alien to the BJP and its predecessors who played no role in the freedom movement, in the design of the national flag or in the popularisation of khadi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi likes to present himself as the custodian of India’s khadi industry, and called on Indians to purchase khadi products last year in his ‘Mann ki Baat’ address. By permitting the import of machine-made and imported polyester flags, PM Modi has attacked the essence of khadi and the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. He has also made a mockery of the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, making it into ‘Har Ghar Mein Cheen Ka Bana Hua Tiranga’.

The PM lectures other Indians to be ‘Vocal for Local’, but his own decisions are more in the spirit of ‘Shanghai ki Mehengai’.

The Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha is the only unit licensed to produce khadi national flags, and is facing closure as a result of this decision. The INC fully associates itself at the national and state level with its Dhwaja Satyagraha and urges all nationalist forces to join in. Friday, July 8, 2022.