Former Congress MP and senior leader V. Hanumantha Rao has criticised the Central Government’s reported efforts to change the Indian national flag and said that the very character of India would be decimated if it happens.
At a press conference here on Tuesday, he questioned the morality of the BJP of even thinking of changing the flag and said that such an attitude was expected from those who had no role to play in Indian Independence. “India will remain a secular country forever and the BJP’s efforts to turn it into a Hindu nation will never fructify,” he said.
Mr. Hanumantha Rao said that there was no match between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who painstakingly built India with a futuristic vision and turned it into a modern nation in every sense.
“Those criticising Nehru should remember that he took over the reins of the country when it could not even manufacture a needle and turned it into an agricultural and industrialised nation despite lack of money and convenience of technology,” he added.
He advised the BJP leaders and Mr. Modi to focus on development and use the foundation laid by the Congress government to further develop the country rather than raking up emotional issues to change the character of the country. He said the country’s current position was due to the sacrifices of thousands of Congressmen over the decades.
