Will Karnataka get a state flag? Siddharamaih questions provision in constitution

After Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka will be the second state to have its own separate state flag.

Questioning if there is any provision in the constitution to prevent the state from having a flag Chief Minister Siddharamaih said that it has nothing to do with elections. 

Despite NDA-led Centre preaching one-nation mantra, the Congress-led government of Karnataka has formed a nine-member team for designing the state flag and send out a report for its legal sanctity, reported The Hindu.

The Kannada flag

The Kannada flag is a bi-coloured flag identified with Kannadigas. It is divided into two horizontal strips – Yellow on the top half and red on the bottom half. Yellow represents turmeric and red represents kumkum which symbolise auspiciousness and well-being of the state.

Oppositions against the idea

When BJP was in office, back in 2012, the government told Karnataka High Court that accepting the suggestion of the state having a flag of its own would go against the unity and integrity of the country.

When the issue was up for discussion in the assembly, the then culture minister Govind M Karjol said that The Flag Code does not allow flags for States.

"Our national flag is the symbol of integrity and sovereignty. If states have their flags, they could diminish the importance of the national flag. Besides, this could lead to narrow-minded regional feelings," he added.

The state government's proposal, coming after five years, was refused by the Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda saying that India is one country and cannot have two flags.

This comes at a time when the Siddaramaiah government was protesting against the use of Hindi in the state.

Legal state of issues

Former advocate general of Karnataka, Raviverma Kumar told in a report that the Constitution does not prohibit a state from having its separate flag as long as the state flag is hoisted and placed at a height lower than the national flag.

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