TVK minister revives demand for Tamil Nadu flag, BJP slams 'separatist mindset'

Tamil Nadu PWD and Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna has called for a separate state flag that is “equal to the National Flag”, drawing criticism from BJP leader Vinoj P Selvam, who warned that the remarks risked nurturing a “separatist mindset”.Arjuna said Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay should be the first to hoist the proposed flag and called for it to be flown at every home. His demand revives a proposal made by then chief minister M Karunanidhi in 1970, which never took effect.“We should create our own flag. Several states have their own flag,” the minister said.The TVK leader said the flag should prioritise Tamil Nadu and be hoisted by the Chief Minister on July 18, observed as Tamil Nadu Day to mark the 1967 Assembly resolution to rename Madras state, and November 1, when the state’s boundaries were reorganised along linguistic lines in 1956. “We are at a place where we need to create a flag which is equal to the National Flag,” he said.The Union Home Ministry told Parliament in 2018 that the Constitution makes no reference to a separate state flag. Flag-display guidelines prohibit another flag from being placed above the National Flag or flown simultaneously from the same masthead.BJP QUESTIONS CALL FOR SEPARATE FLAG Responding to Arjuna, Selvam said Tamil identity did not need a separate flag to assert itself.“Our language did not wait for your flag. Our civilisation does not need your certificate. And our Tamil identity does not become any smaller beneath the Indian Tricolour,” he wrote on X.Selvam accused the minister of creating a divide between Tamil and Indian identities.“This rhetoric risks nurturing a separatist mindset, teaching people to see their Tamil and Indian identities as competing loyalties. Why manufacture a divide where we should take pride in both?” he asked.He also questioned whether Arjuna’s insistence on Tamil in temples would extend to churches and mosques, saying the principle should be applied equally.Selvam urged the minister to spell out plans for Tamil-medium students, youth employment, Tamil research and opportunities for entrepreneurs, with targets and deadlines.KARUNANIDHI’S 1970 FLAG PROPOSALThe demand for a Tamil Nadu flag goes back more than five decades.In 1970, Karunanidhi’s government sought the Centre’s approval for a separate state flag and prepared a design with a grey background, the Indian Tricolour in the upper-left corner and the state’s temple-tower emblem on the main portion.Karunanidhi displayed the proposed flag to reporters in Delhi that year. He argued that a state flag would neither undermine India’s unity nor diminish respect for the National Flag.Then prime minister Indira Gandhi said she would consult other chief ministers. The proposal faced opposition from several leaders, including then Mysore chief minister Veerendra Patil, and remained on paper.KARNATAKA RENEWS PUSH FOR OFFICIAL FLAGArjuna’s remarks came on the same day that Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar renewed the push for official recognition of the Kannada flag.Shivakumar said his government would take up the matter during the forthcoming Belagavi legislature session and discuss it in the Cabinet. He proposed a legal framework to formalise the flag’s display alongside the National Flag on government buildings.Karnataka had pursued a separate state flag in 2018 under then chief minister Siddaramaiah. That design featured yellow, white and red horizontal bands, with the state emblem, Gandabherunda, in the centre.It differed from the familiar yellow-red Kannada flag and was sent to the Centre for approval, but did not receive recognition.- Ends