Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj KS Eshwarappa claimed that Bhagwa Dhwaj (saffron flag) may become the national flag sometime in the future. Speaking with media persons on Wednesday he said that Tri-colour is the national flag now, and it should be respected by everyone.

He quoted this remarks answer to the question asked by the reporter, he said that hundreds of years ago the chariots of Sri Ramachandra and Maruthi had saffron flags on them. Was the Tri-colour flag there in our country then? Now it is fixed as our national flag, what respect it has to be given, should be given by every person who takes food in this country, there is no question about it. Responding to a question by reporters on whether the saffron flag can be hoisted on the red fort, he said, not today, some day in the future.

Discussions are today taking place in the country on Hindu vichara and Hindutva. People used to laugh at one point when we said Ram Mandir will be constructed in Ayodhya, aren’t we constructing it now? In the same way sometime in the future, after 100 or 200 or 500 years Bhagwa dhwaj may become the national flag. I don’t know, he added. Now Tri-colour has been constitutionally accepted as the national flag, the Minister said further, it should be respected, and those who don’t respect it will be a traitor.

We are the people who hoist the saffron flag, not today sometime in the future Hindu dharma will come to this country at that time we will hoist it on the Red fort, for now Tri-colour is our national flag, there is now doubt about it and we all respect it, he said. Shivamogga college authorities and police officials too have clarified that the national flag was not lowered to put up a saffron flag.