RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat on Friday unfurled the Tricolour on the occasion of the nation’s 69th Republic Day at a private school in Palakkad, Kerala despite a circular issued by the State’s CPI(M)-led lDF Government saying that only heads of institutions could hoist the Flag on national days at public institutions.
Sangh leaders said the restrictions mentioned in the Government circular were not applicable in the case of the Sarsanghchalak’s programme as the Vyasa Vidya Peethom school at Kallekkad in Palakkad district where he hoisted the national flag was not a Government-owned or aided school but a private, unaided school which was following CBSE curriculum.
Bhagwat’s Republic Day programme at the Kallekkad school had attracted widespread attention in the context of the controversy created around the hoisting of the national flag by him at the aided Karnaki Amman Higher Secondary School at Vadakkumthala in Palakkad district on last Independence Day.
Observers pointed out that the circular the Government had issued on January 17 had no relevance with respect to Vyasa Vidya Peethom as it was being run by Vidyabharati, an organization with RSS association. The Sarsanghchalak is in Palakkad in connection with the three-day Pranthiya Karyakarthru Shibir of the Sangh that began on Friday.
Addressing RSS Karyakarthas, students, teachers and others after hoisting the national flag at the school, the Sangh chief said the Indian democracy would realize its ultimate objectives only when power was accessible to even the last person in the last row of the society and that the country’s life was founded on sacrifice.
“Our Constitution is founded on the country’s tradition, culture and civilization. Dedication by the people is necessary for the nation to achieve prosperity. For the citizen, fundamental duties are as important as fundamental rights,” the Sarsanghchalak said. Senior leaders of the BJP, RSS and other Sangh-associated outfits participated in the programme.
Bhagwat had unfurled the national flag on the last Independence Day at Karnaki Amman School in the presence of its principal and representatives of its management despite an order of restraint issued by the Palakkad District Administration hours before the ceremony saying that political leaders were not allowed to do this at schools.
Also, the national song was sung immediately after flag-hoisting instead of the National Anthem.
The Government had concluded that the Karnaki Amman School had violated the National Flag Code through this and Marxist Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had in November instructed the Education Department to take action against the aided school’s principal and manager.