Headlines
Modi autographed memento, not national flag, government clarifies after row
New York/New Delhi, Sep 26
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi put his autograph on what appeared to be an Indian flag
evoking sharp criticism from the Congress but the government clarified
that it was only a memento. The artwork has been taken for review.
The
controversy erupted after super chef Vikas Khanna, who had dished up
the fare for the prime minister's dinner with Fortune 500 CEOs on
Thursday, approached Modi with the flag crafted by children of Smile
India Foundation to be gifted to President Barack Obama. When Khanna
told him that he wanted to present it to Obama, Modi autographed it.
Modi also praised Khanna, a four-time Michelin-starred chef, for the dinner held at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York.
The story broke after Khanna displayed the autographed flag to the media.
According to the rules governing the national flag, putting any inscription on the flag is considered disrespect.
Twitter
was abuzz on Friday under the hashtag #ModiDisrespectsTricolor after
the incident, which evoked a sharp reaction from the Congress.
Congress
spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in New Delhi: "We are not petty
like BJP. We respect the office of the prime minister... However high
you may be, the national flag is above you, you should understand this."
Congress
leader Manish Tewari tweeted: "Has PM read Para 2.1 sub para 6&
Para 3.28 of Flag Code 2002 that states lettering on National Flag is
misuse. 3 yrs jail under PINH Act 2003."
However, Press
Information Bureau director general (media and communication) Frank
Noronha clarified that the "memento signed by PM Modi did not have the
Ashok Chakra on it or the 'white' colour band on it".
He also tweeted: "Story about PM Modi disrespecting the tricolor is false and mischievous. PM didn't autograph the flag."
"The
flag autographed by PM #narendramodi was a design made by an
enthusiastic child with unique abilities. It is not the #tricolour."
"The #design has not been confiscated by any of the authorities as reported in a section of the #media."
"NarendraModi's
gesture is a mark of #appreciation & aimed at encouraging the child
with unique abilities," Noronha said in a series of tweets.
The
BJP accused the Congress of "raking up a controversy where none exists"
and making "irrelevant and unwarranted" comments against Modi.
In New York, external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup, when asked by IANS, said: "It was not a flag".
Swarup
said Khanna wanted to present the artwork to President Obama and he
wanted Modi's autograph on it as he thought it would be nice gesture.
Swarup said that the child's drawing was being erroneously portrayed as the national flag.
Asked if the artwork was taken back, Swarup said that it was only taken for a review.
Khanna tweeted that it was not a flag, under his handle @TheVikasKhanna.
"Dear
all, It is not the National Flag. A differently abled girl from my
Foundation who I treat like my daughter had attempted an artistic hand
impression on a light brown piece of cloth. It didn't have the three
colours of the national flag represented. Was more like the insignia of
the MakeInIndia. Unnecessary controversy is being created deliberately,"
he said.
Khanna had presented a cuisine that included sandalwood
saffron sherbet, paneer ravioli, saffron sheermal and mango-ginger
soup. Many of the dishes were from his coffee table book on festival
cuisine in India.