Veteran BJP leader and former National Council member N. Sivarajan has triggered nationwide outrage by proposing that India’s national flag be replaced with a saffron one. His controversial remarks were made during a BJP-organised protest at Anchuvilakku Junction in Palakkad, Kerala, where the party was voicing its dissent against both the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), accusing them of disrespecting ‘Bharat Mata’, reported the New Indian Express.
Currently serving as a councillor in the Palakkad municipality, Sivarajan lashed out at political parties using flags similar to the Indian tricolour. He specifically targeted the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), suggesting they adopt distinctly different flags — going as far as to propose a green flag for the Congress. In a pointed jibe at Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, he accused them of being ignorant of Indian history and sarcastically suggested they might as well hoist the Italian flag.
Adding to the controversy, Sivarajan referred to Kerala’s Education Minister V. Sivankutty using the derogatory term “Shavankutty” — an offensive pun in Malayalam — which further inflamed tensions. The remarks drew swift and angry reactions from across the political spectrum.
The Palakkad Block Congress Committee President, C.V. Satheesh, lodged a formal police complaint demanding strict legal action against Sivarajan, including invoking charges of sedition for his statements.
Political leaders, civil society activists, and commentators have condemned the BJP leader’s remarks, calling them divisive, inflammatory, and disrespectful to national symbols. Many have demanded disciplinary action from the BJP leadership, warning that such provocative rhetoric only serves to deepen communal and political divides in an already polarized society.
