Opposition Leaders Accuse Congress of Prioritising Power Over National Symbols

Opposition leaders in the Karnataka Assembly seized on the controversy to charge the Congress with putting political calculations above the reverence owed to the tricolour. R. Ashok, a senior BJP MLA, condemned the minister’s request, saying it placed party politics above the sacred duty of flag‑hoisting on Independence Day. He urged Congress president Rahul Gandhi to apologise to the people of Karnataka, accusing the party of treating power as more important than national pride. Ashok also questioned Chief Minister Shivakumar’s decision to retain Zameer in the cabinet, calling it a disrespect to the Constitution.