NEW DELHI: After much uproar and coming under fire for not changing its profile display picture to tricolour, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological partner of Bharatiya Janata Party, finally on Friday put the national tricolour in the profile pictures of its all social media accounts, including the profile picture of it chief Mohan Bhagwat, in place of traditional saffron flag as part of ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign.
The RSS not only expressed its patriotic commitment to the national wide ‘Har Ghar Campaign’ by putting the national flags in its profiles of all social media accounts but also shared clippings of videos showing how the national flags were hoisted and unfurled in different places of RSS writing slogans in Hindi ‘Swadhianta ka Amrit Mahotsava Manya’ Har Ghar Tiranga Fahray. Rashtriye Swabhiman Jagaye’ (Celebrate the Amrit Mahotsava of Independence. Hoist the tricolour at every house. Raise national self-respect).
In the collage of video clippings, one video clipping shows RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also hoisting the national flag. Recently, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had questioned on the RSS not hoisting the national flag at its headquarter in Nagpur asking that would it be part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to the countrymen to put the ‘Tiranga’ in the profile of their social media accounts.
A senior BJP functionary told TNIE that the RSS by putting the national flags in its all profile pictures of social media platforms has exposed the hollow claims of Opposition doing politics even on the issue of ‘Har Ghar Tiranga campaign. The RSS had come under fire form every quarter on social media for not hoisting the national flags. As a result of uproar, the RSS leaders had to make the stand of RSS clear through a media interaction stating that the RSS as the ideological partner of BJP has a part in the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign.
The RSS further stated that an entire lot of RSS workers are surcharged with patriotic fervours and are participating in the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign which is aimed at installing sense of nationalism and patriotism. The RSS also claimed on Friday through its publicity in-charge Narendra Thakur that the Sangh has always been celebrating Independence Day at all its offices by hoisting the national flag.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Pawan Khera said: “After tremendous pressure for a week, a sheepish @RSS finally changes profile pictures to Tiranga”.
On August 3, Rahul Gandhi had also criticised the RSS saying that “those running the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign have been members of that anti-national organisation which did not hoist the tricolour for 52 years’. After Congress Party, YSR-convenor of TRS and chairman of Telangana State renewal Energy Development Corporation had tweeted: “For 52 years #RSS did not accept the Indian flag, and did not hoist the Indian flag until 2002. And now, RSS and BJP are lecturing us on Har Ghar Tiranga, Patriotism and Nationalism”.