The chief of Bharatiya Janata Party’s Uttarakhand state unit on Wednesday asked his supporters to click pictures of homes where the national flags are not displayed to mark the 75th Independence Day.
Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the “Har Ghar Tiranga” campaign to encourage citizens to display the tricolour at their homes from August 13 to August 15.
BJP Uttarakhand chief Mahendra Bhatt said that India cannot trust those who do not hoist the national flag.
The Hindutva politician was addressing an event in Haldwani as part of the government’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
“People won’t see owners of those houses with trust where the tricolour is not hoisted this Independence Day… Get me photographs of those houses where the tricolour is not hoisted. People would like to see who is a nationalist and who isn’t.” Times of India quotes the saffron leader as saying.
The BJP leader’s remarks triggered sharp condemnation from Opposition parties.
Slamming Bhatt’s “silly remark”, Congress leader Ganesh Godiyal said, “Being the state president of a national party, he should think twice before saying something. Currently, I am on a tour to the hills and can see many homes not hoisting the tricolour, maybe due to their difficult financial conditions under the BJP rule.”
