Congress MLAs in
Karnataka held an overnight protest in the Assembly Thursday over comments made
by KS Eshwarappa, state minister for rural development, regarding the national
flag. Eshwarappa’s purported comment about the saffron flag replacing the
national flag saw Congress lawmakers call for the minister’s resignation. The
minister as well as his party have refused to budge.

What the
minister said

KS Eshwarappa, 73,
who represents the Shimoga Assembly constituency, said on Wednesday, “Not today
but someday in the future maybe after 100, 200, or 500 years, the saffron flag
will become our national flag. People used to laugh over the construction of a
Ram temple in Ayodhya. Are we not building the temple now? Now Hindutva is
being discussed in the country.”

Opposition’s
response

The comment drew
immense criticism from the Congress with party leaders calling the statement
seditious and seeking the minister’s immediate resignation. Leader of
Opposition Siddaramaiah claimed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its
ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were disrespecting the
national flag.

He added that
Congress has decided to stage protests day-and-night to take the issue to its
logical conclusion. “The Chief Minister is also not taking action against
Eshwarappa, the RSS is implementing its hidden agenda through Eshwarappa.”

BJP’s defence
and counterattack

The BJP, of
course, has refused to budge on the issue with leaders saying there was no question
of the minister resigning or being taken to task. Karnataka Chief Minister
Basavaraj Bommai accused the Congress of quoting the minister selectively and
taking his remarks out of context.

“Eshwarappa has
issued a clarification. He did not say the saffron flag will be hoisted at the
Red Fort immediately but in another 300 to 500 years. He said it may or may not
happen,” the chief minister said. “He (Eshwarappa) added that we have accepted
the national flag and no one must disrespect it.”