Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti on Thursday called for a national debate on Congress using the tricolour as its party flag, saying it should be snatched away from the party for misusing it.
"After conclusion of the Tiranga yatra on September 25, I will ask BJP chief M Venkaiah Naidu to call for a national debate over Congress using the tricolour, which is identical to the national flag," she told said on the sixth day of her Hubli to Jallianwala Bagh yatra.
All these years after independence, Congress has exploited these sentiments and has emotionally blackmailed countrymen by using the tricolour which has three colours in the same order as the national flag.
No political party should be allowed to use a flag, which resembles the national flag, she said.
Bharti said the Supreme Court while hearing a PIL, to restrain her from misusing the tricolour, has favoured strict implementation of the national flag code and curbing its misuse by cricket fans and models.
She said the poor village population was successfully confused by Congress which was using the tricolour as party flag barring the charkha on it.
"The only difference between the two flags is the Congress' symbol which has changed from time to time," she said.
The Congress has no right to use the tricolour, Bharti said. She added that the then freedom fighter Chakravarty Rajgopalachari was against Congress using the tricolour and Mahatma Gandhi had called for its disbandment after freedom was achieved.
When asked why the national flag was not hoisted atop the RSS headquarters in Nagpur on January 26 and August 15, Bharti said RSS was a patrotic organisation and taught nationalism.
Bharti invited Congress president Sonia Gandhi to unfurl the tricolour at RSS headquarters either in Nagpur or at Jhandewala Estate in Delhi.
"We will welcome her and offer sweets and not frame any charges against her," she said.
She accused the Congress in Maharashtra of creating a controversy over Veer Savarkar, Afzal Khan and Shivaji, whenever elections were to be held.
On VHP's agitation to demolish the tomb of Afzal Khan inside Pratapgarh fort, Bharti said it could be discussed after the elections.
When asked about RJD chief and Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad's comment that she should go back to Madhya Pradesh and become the chief minister, the BJP leader said, "He is an entertainer and nobody takes him seriously."
She said Lalu Prasad was shielding himself from the corruption charges by talking about secularism and to mislead the people.
Continuing her tirade against tainted ministers, Bharti while referring to the RJD Minister, said, "There was a black spot of (Lalu Prasad) in the sky blue turban of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh."