New Delhi: Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Har Ghar Tiranga” campaign, citing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) historical disagreement towards the Indian national flag. In a post on X, Ramesh highlighted several instances from the RSS’s past that he claims demonstrate the organisation’s reluctance to embrace the tricolour.
Ramesh said that in 1947, RSS’s second leader MS Golwalkar expressed disapproval of the tricolour as the national flag in his book. Golwalkar reportedly described the flag as “communal” and “merely an act of imitation.” Apart from that, Ramesh mentioned a 1947 article from the RSS magazine *Organiser,* which allegedly claimed that the tricoloir “will never be accepted or respected by Hindus.” The article also suggested that the three colours of the flag were psychologically damaging and harmful to the nation.
The non biological PM has started another Har Ghar Tiranga campaign. This is a short history of the RSS’s relationship with the Tiranga –
• M S Golwalkar, the second chief of the RSS, in his book Bunch of Thoughts had criticised the Congress’ decision to adopt the Tricolour as…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) August 10, 2024
RSS’s recent saffron past
Ramesh also referred to a controversy from 2015, where the RSS reportedly argued that “saffron should be the only colour on the national flag,” suggesting that the other colors symbolised communal ideology. He further pointed out that the RSS did not regularly hoist the tricolour at its headquarters until 2001. Ramesh also pointed an incident where three young men faced legal consequences for trying to hoist the flag on RSS property.
Ramesh accused the Prime Minister of trying to “appropriate” a national symbol that he claims the RSS had previously rejected. He also emphasized that this criticism coincides with a day when India and the Indian National Congress are likely commemorating the anniversary of the Quit India Movement—a movement in which, according to Ramesh, the RSS did not participate.
Hat Ghar Tiranga campaign
Har Ghar Tiranga is a campaign launched by the Government of India in 2022 to encourage citizens to hoist the national flag, the Tiranga, at their homes. The campaign aims to promote patriotism, unity and a sense of national pride among Indians. The term “Har Ghar Tiranga” translates to “Tiranga in every home” in English.
