Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddharamaiah yesterday clarified to the Congress top brass that the State Government has not taken any concrete decision to have a separate flag for the State.
“The Chief Minister clarified that the State Government has just formed a Committee to study the legalities of having a separate flag following requests from some pro-Kannada activists. We have not taken any decision and the panel will have to first submit its report,” Siddharamaiah has told the party High Command.
K.C. Venugopal, AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, who had sought an explanation from the Chief Minister, confirmed that the CM has sent his clarification.
Meanwhile, Karnataka’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra said that the Government’s proposal to give legal status to the ‘Kannada flag’ was a “legal grey area” and it was in no hurry to decide on the issue.
“There is no intention on the part of the State Government to create a controversy on the proposed State flag issue. There is no legal bar on the State having its own flag, just like theS State anthem.”
Though there is no specific mention in the Constitution on States having their own flags, there is no bar on it, he said. “The Committee will examine all aspects of the issue. It is a legal grey area,” he told reporters.
The Chief Minister Mr.Siddaramaiah is desperately drawing from a legally grey area to stir up a controversy and divert public attention from the umpteen bunglings of his Government which are shutting out the chances of the Congress party getting re-elected to power in Karnataka. No relief is in sight for the drought hit farmers, law and order is in a mess, administration of prisons is in shambles and the persistent attempts to somehow portray that everything is fine are failing miserbaly. Hence the all of sudden whipping up of Kannada sentyiment. The tendency is receiving allround flak and hence thepolitical leadership is giving a lame explanation that it is not keen on a seperate flag. Ironically the strife torn Jammu and Kashmir is the only State having a seperate flag and the Congress under Mr.Siddaramaiah does not mind joining its bandwagon even if it implies a further weakening of the national unity and integrity.