New Delhi: In an op-ed for The Hindu newspaper, Congress leader and former party president Sonia Gandhi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his renewed push for the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign.
She raised concerns about the widespread use of machine-manufactured polyester flags, with raw materials often imported from China and other countries. Gandhi pointed out that the Flag Code of India has traditionally required the national flag to be made of “hand-spun and hand-woven wool/cotton/silk khadi bunting”. She emphasised that khadi was historically used to symbolise sovereignty and self-sufficiency at the individual level.
The amended Flag Code
Gandhi criticised the Centre’s decision to amend the Flag Code to include “machine-made…polyester…bunting” and to exempt polyester flags from the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
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She also noted that GST remains a heavy burden on handloom workers, with the tax being applied to both the final product and the raw materials (yarns, dyes, and chemicals). Additionally, she accused the government of failing to empower khadi spinners and weavers to form their own cooperatives, independent of existing khadi institutions, to market and sell their products.
Government not procuring enough khadi
Furthermore, Gandhi alleged that government procurement of khadi has declined as departments increasingly choose to ignore or override mandates that require them to purchase khadi.
“The government has failed to regulate the market, and khadi spun from semi-mechanised charkhas is being sold indiscriminately, under the same label as traditional hand-spun khadi. This is to the detriment of our khadi spinners, whose wages do not exceed Rs 200-Rs 250 a day despite their back-breaking manual labour,” she wrote.
She argued that khadi should be restored as the only fabric with the distinction of bearing our national flag.