The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh initially did not recognize the Tricolor as the National
Flag of India. The RSS mouthpiece Organiser, in its issue dated 17 July 1947 demanded, in an editorial titled "National Flag" that the
Bhagwa Dhwaj (Saffron Flag) be adopted as the National Flag of India.
[70] After the Tricolor was adopted as the National Flag of India by the
Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July 1947, the RSS mouthpiece Organiser viciously attacked the Tricolor and denigrated its being chosen as the National Flag of India. The 14 August 1947 issue of the Organiser, in an article titled "Mystery behind the
Bhagwa Dhwaj", stated
"The people who have come to power by the kick of fate may give in our hands the Tricolor but it never be respected and owned by Hindus.The word three is in itself an evil, and a flag having three colours will certainly produce a very bad psychological effect and is injurious to a country"
[71][72]
Further, M.S. Golwalkar, the second sarsanghchalak of the RSS, in an essay titled "Drifting and Drafting" published in his book
Bunch of Thoughts, lamented the choice of the Tricolor as the National Flag of India, and compared it to an intellectual vacuum/void. In his words,
"Our leaders have set up a new flag for the country. Why did they do so? It just is a case of drifting and imitating...Ours is an ancient and great nation with a glorious past. Then, had we no flag of our own? had we no national emblem at all these thousands of years? Undoubtedly we had. Then why this utter void, this utter vaccum in our minds"
[73][74][75][76]
The RSS hoisted the National Flag of India at its headquarters in Nagpur, on 14th August, 1947 and on the 26th January, 1950 and stopped doing so since then.
[77] This issue had always been a source of controversy. In 2001, three activists of Rashtrapremi Yuwa Dal– president Baba Mendhe, and members Ramesh Kalambe and Dilip Chattani — along with others allegedly entered the RSS headquarters in Reshimbagh, Nagpur on 26 January,
Republic Day of India and forcibly hoisted the national flag there amid patriotic slogans. They contended that RSS had never before or after independence, ever hoisted the tri-colour in their premises, even on
Independence Day and Republic Day. Offences under relevant section of Bombay Police Act and IPC were registered by Police against the trio, resulting in their being jailed. They were released after 11 years in 2013.
[78][79] The arrests and the flag-hoisting issue stoked a controversy, which was raised in the Parliament as well. In 2002, subsequently the National Flag was raised in the RSS headquarters on the occasion of Republic Day for the first time, after 52 years.
[77]
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