Karnataka Ready With Its Flag, To Ask Centre to Clear 'Tricolour'

Bengaluru:  A red, white and yellow flag designed for Karnataka was revealed at a meeting of the state government today, before activists, ministers, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The "tricolor" also features an emblem, "Ganda Bherunda", which is a two-headed mythical bird.

The design of the flag or "Naada Dwaja" was cleared by the state government and will be forwarded to the central government.

Ahead of elections due in a few months, a separate flag has been linked to Kannada pride by the state's ruling Congress.

A member of the flag committee, Mukhyamantri Chandru, said, "There is nothing in the Constitution that says states should not have a flag. So the Siddaramaiah government decided to give some sanctity to the Karnataka state to fix a regional flag. This is no damage to the national flag."

The Kannada flag plan and the committee set up by the state fueled sparring between the Congress and the main opposition BJP, whose leaders, including Shobha Karandlaje, had accused the government of practising divisive politics. The BJP, however, went silent after public anger over its stand.

Mr Chandru said there would be rules for the use of the state flag. "I don't think they will reject this. This is what people want with their hearts," he said.

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With an eye on polls, the state government has been pushing a pro-Kannada agenda for months. A few months ago, a Hindi Beda or 'No to Hindi' agitation drove the removal of all Hindi signboards from the Bengaluru Metro. Only Kannada and English signboards remain in the Namma Metro now.

Senior Kannada writer and activist Chandrashekhara Patil said, "Today is a historical occasion for Kannadigas because the government has responded very positively to this demand from the people of Karnataka."