Last week, Karnataka government initiated a move for a separate flag for the state. The demand has triggered a pitched debate on the constitutional validity of the move and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's motive behind it.
This demand received instant criticism from opposition parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party which alleged that political considerations were at play.
The CM has pitched the demand months ahead of the state Assembly elections in Karnataka. Although, Karnataka already has an unofficial red-and-yellow flag, a symbol of Kannada pride that is used for cultural events.
Now the current government has constituted a nine member committee to study the possibility of designing a separate flag for the state on the grounds that there is no such provision either in the Constitution or in the Flag Code that prohibits a state from having a separate official flag as said by a Bangalore-based lawyer in a statement.
“A nine-member committee has been formed by the Congress government and tasked with submitting a report on designing a separate flag for the state and providing a legal standing for it,” said an official. He also added that “The flag was not used at ceremonies like Republic Day or Independence Day but on occasions like the state's foundation day.”
The Nine member committee, headed by the principal secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture, was set up last month following a representation from noted Kannada writer and journalist Patil Puttappa, and social worker Bheemappa Gundappa Gadada.
Other members of the committee include Secretaries to the Departments of Personnel and Administrative Services, Home, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, president of Kannada Sahitya Parishat, chairman of Kannada Development Authority, vice-chancellor of Kannada University, Hampi, and the Director of the Department of Kannada and Culture.
This move by Karnataka’s Congress government comes amid growing public anger over the central government’s alleged attempts to impose Hindi on the state’s Kannada-speaking people.
Recently, Karnataka has been in news for anti-Hindi protests over the use of Hindi language on signboards in Bengaluru metro stations; a move that was seen as language imposition.
The Namma Metro Hindi Beda campaign which was started in June-end has been seeking the removal of Hindi signboards from all Namma Metro stations as well as stopping of announcements in Hindi in the metro. Several groups have also opposed the three-language policy, in which Hindi translation is provided as the third language, apart from English and the regional language script.
Another reason could be that, the state is also fighting legal cases with all of its neighbours over sharing water from various rivers. Apart from the legal battle over Cauvery, the state is locked in similar battles over the Krishna, Godavari and Mahadayi rivers. There is also a longstanding dispute over Belagavi district, which some want to be integrated with Maharashtra.
The argument for the demand of the separate state flag was also somehowpitched on the grounds that states in countries like the United States and Germany have their own flags. But this cannot be the point of argumentation as India is a nation from where different states emergedlater on, unlike United States or Germany where different state together formed a nation.
Although, when this particular issue came up for discussion in Karnataka assembly in 2012, BJP’s Kannada and culture minister Govind M Karjol in earlier government had said, “The Flag Code does not allow flags for states. Our national flag is the symbol of integrity and sovereignty of our nation. If states have their separate flags, it could diminish the importance of the national flag. Besides, there are possibilities of it leading to narrow minded regional feelings.”
But now, the Congress government in the state has appointed a panel to take it further. It is examining the possibility of adopting a separate state flag, according to the reports.
Currently, Jammu and Kashmir, which has special powers under Article 370 of the Constitution is the only state with a separate flag.Also, Central government is believed to be allowing Nagaland to have a separate flag under a treaty that is expected to be signed with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (I-M). If the state government has its way, Karnataka will be the second Indian state after J&K to have a separate flag for the state.
Starting with Jammu Kashmir, then Nagaland and now Karnataka; one wonders, just how many states would want a separate flag for themselves.