A picture from the tribute event of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh is attracting sharp condemnation on social media. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday received severe criticism over a photo shared by the BJP on Twitter.
In the photo, tweeted by the BJP, Kaylan Singh’s body could be seen lying covered with the national flag, while the party flag was placed over the national flag in the prayer meeting of the veteran politician.
Kalyan Singh was a BJP veteran under whose guard Babri masjid was demolished. He died on Saturday at the age of 89 in Lucknow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on Sunday had reached Lucknow to pay offerings to Kalyan Singh, whom he had called a valuable personality and a capable leader. He became a “symbol of trust” for the common people, Modi noted.
Meanwhile, what drew the criticism was the picture shared from the ceremony. Kalyan Singh’s mortal remains could be seen covered with tricolour, however, BJP’s flag was partially covering the national flag.
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While sharing the picture from the prayer meet, Srinivas BV, the chief of the Youth Congress questioned, "Is it ok to place party flag over Indian flag in New India?"
“India will not tolerate the insult to the national flag,” tweeted the official handle of Youth Congress in Hindi.
"As one who had to fight a court case for four years merely for placing my hand on my heart during the singing of the National Anthem (rather than standing stiffly to attention), I think the nation should be told how the ruling party feels about this insult," raising the issue, Senior Congress leader and party MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted.
"Party above the Nation. Flag above the Tricolor. BJP as usual: no regret, no repentance, no sorrow, no grief," wrote Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ghanshyam Tiwari in a tweet.
Besides PM Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda, other leaders who attended the tribute ceremony of Kalyan Singh were UP Governor Anandiben Patel, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma.
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For the uninformed, Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults national Honour Act says: "Whoever in any public place or in any other place within public view burns, mutilates, defaces, defiles, disfigures, destroys, tramples upon or otherwise shows disrespect to or brings into contempt (whether by words, either spoken or written, or by acts) the Indian National Flag or the Constitution of India or any part thereof, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both."