Udupi District Commissioner Swaroopa TK on Wednesday issued a clarification over the controversy surrounding the display of a saffron flag during the recent Paryaya procession, urging political parties
not to politicise a ceremonial event rooted in tradition.
The clarification came after the Udupi District Congress Committee sought disciplinary action against the district commissioner, alleging that she violated service conduct rules by publicly displaying what it described as an RSS flag during a religious event in the city.
The row erupted during the early-morning Paryaya Mahotsava on January 18, when BJP MLA Yashpal Suvarna handed a saffron flag to the district commissioner at the ceremonial flag-off of the centuries-old procession.
Swaroopa used the flag to inaugurate the procession, prompting objections from the Congress.
Responding to the criticism, Swaroopa said she was discharging her official duties as the Administrator of the Udupi City Municipal Council during the Paryaya Mahotsava.
She stressed that flagging off the procession was an administrative responsibility and not a politically motivated act.
“I attended the Pura Pravesha programme in my official capacity and participated in the Darbar programme only after the traditional civic honour was accorded to the seers and their ascension to the Sarvajna Peetha,” she said, adding that the event was conducted in keeping with established customs.
The Congress, however, maintained its objections. In a representation submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the party’s district unit alleged that the district commissioner publicly held and displayed an RSS flag during the procession, which began around 3 am and moved from Jodukatte to the Sri Krishna Math.
Calling the act a breach of constitutional secularism and service rules, the Congress demanded a formal inquiry and legal action.
The issue has sparked a strong political response from the BJP, which accused the Congress of selectively targeting Hindu religious practices.
BJP leaders argued that the saffron or Bhagwa flag is a sacred symbol associated with Hindu traditions and has long been part of the Paryaya Mahotsava.
BJP MLA Yashpal Suvarna rejected comparisons between the Bhagwa flag and political symbols, calling the Congress’s complaint “misplaced and motivated.”
He alleged that the party was indulging in vote-bank politics and displaying an “anti-Hindu mindset.”
The BJP’s Karnataka unit also issued a statement accusing the Congress of opposing Sanatan Dharma and attempting to politicise a religious tradition observed in Udupi for centuries, asserting that public sentiment would not favour what it described as interference in longstanding customs.
