Congress leader urges BJP not to politicise national flag

Ponnam Prabhakar, a senior Congress leader from Telangana, has pushed back against attempts to associate the national flag with contemporary political narratives, emphasizing the need to keep the symbol above party politics.

In his response to remarks attributed to Union Minister Kishan Reddy, Prabhakar drew attention to the historical record of Telangana's independence struggle. He noted that the popular movements against the Nizam's authoritarian rule were spearheaded by the Congress party and Communist organizations, which were the primary political forces engaged in the freedom struggle during that era.

Prabhakar pointed out a fundamental chronological reality: the Bharatiya Janata Party did not exist during the period when these crucial anti-Nizam movements were taking place, making any retrospective claims about the saffron party's role in that struggle historically inaccurate.

The exchange underscores ongoing political tensions in Telangana, where competing narratives about the state's independence movement remain contested between different political parties. Congress leaders have consistently emphasized their party's role in the Telangana freedom struggle, particularly through the Telangana Armed Struggle that culminated in the state's formation in 2014.