RSS opposed Tricolour for decades, now leads Tiranga Yatra: Maha Congress
Synopsis
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal has accused the RSS of opposing India's Tricolour for over five decades after Independence — and questioned the sincerity of BJP-RSS-organised Tiranga Yatras. The charge lands just days before Independence Day, turning a patriotism ritual into a sharp political flashpoint in Maharashtra.
Key Takeaways
Harshvardhan Sapkal , president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee , alleged on 11 August that the RSS opposed the national Tricolour for 50–55 years after Independence.
Sapkal said the RSS considered the Tiranga inauspicious and had no role in India's freedom movement.
He questioned the motive behind BJP–RSS -organised Tiranga Yatras , saying 'better late than never' but warning against 'ulterior motives.' The Congress leader alleged governance failures by the BJP–Mahayuti government — citing inflation, unemployment, farmer distress, and law-and-order concerns.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was defended by Sapkal, who dismissed BJP MP Ashok Chavan's 'running away' charge as hypocritical.
Congress has announced an agitational strategy to hold the Maharashtra government accountable.
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshvardhan Sapkal on Tuesday, 11 August alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — the ideological parent body of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — had opposed India's national tricolour for several decades and played no part in the freedom movement. Sapkal made the remarks in Mumbai while addressing the media after the party's core committee meeting.
The Tiranga Controversy
Sapkal claimed that the RSS had historically considered the Tiranga inauspicious and did not hoist the national flag at its offices for 50–55 years after Independence. He said that if the organisation had now developed an affinity for the tricolour, it was welcome — but cautioned against hidden motives. 'If they have now developed a love for the tricolour, that is certainly welcome; better late than never. However, there should not be any ulterior motive behind this on the part of the BJP and RSS,' he said.
Governance Failures and Divide-and-Rule Charge
Sapkal alleged that the BJP–Mahayuti government had failed on multiple fronts — citing rising inflation, unresolved farmers' grievances, mounting unemployment, and deteriorating law and order. He charged that rather than addressing these issues, the ruling dispensation was fomenting divisions along caste and religious lines to divert public attention. The Congress, he said, would adopt an agitational approach to hold the government accountable.
Student Protests and Parliament Standoff
Responding to BJP MPs staging a protest in the Parliament complex over student demonstrations in Jharkhand, Sapkal called the gesture 'laughable.' He alleged that when students had earlier protested at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and across the country over paper leaks, they were met with lathi-charges, pellet guns, and mass case registrations, with young women allegedly treated harshly. He said BJP MPs were conspicuously silent at that time.
Rahul Gandhi and the 'Running Away' Debate
Sapkal defended Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who had publicly condemned the lathi-charge on student protesters in Jharkhand. He described Gandhi as 'not a leader who runs away, but a leader who fights.' The Congress leader also hit back at BJP MP Ashok Chavan, who had accused Rahul Gandhi of running away, saying it was Chavan himself who had 'run away' by leaving the Congress party. Sapkal added that the Opposition had repeatedly demanded a Parliament debate on the student crackdown, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had avoided participating.
What's Next
With Independence Day approaching, the Tiranga Yatra controversy is likely to intensify political exchanges between the Congress and the BJP–RSS combine in Maharashtra. The Congress has signalled an escalating agitational strategy ahead of what it frames as a broader accountability campaign against the Mahayuti government.
Point of View
When Tiranga Yatras generate maximum visibility for the BJP. What the charge lacks in novelty, it gains in political timing. The deeper question the mainstream coverage misses: whether repeated invocations of RSS's pre-Independence positions can shift voter sentiment in Maharashtra, where the BJP–Mahayuti coalition remains structurally dominant. Sapkal's bundling of the Tiranga critique with governance failures — inflation, unemployment, farmer distress — signals Congress is trying to link symbolic politics to material grievances. Whether that synthesis lands with voters, or stays a press-conference talking point, is the real test for the party's agitational strategy ahead of local body elections.
NationPress
12 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal allege about the RSS and the Tricolour?
Sapkal alleged that the RSS had historically considered the Tricolour inauspicious, played no role in the freedom movement, and did not hoist the national flag at its offices for 50–55 years after Independence. He made these remarks on 11 August in Mumbai after the party's core committee meeting.
Why is the Tiranga Yatra politically controversial in Maharashtra?
The Congress has questioned the sincerity of BJP and RSS-organised Tiranga Yatras, arguing that an organisation that historically opposed the national flag cannot claim patriotic credentials by organising flag marches. The controversy has sharpened ahead of Independence Day.
What governance failures did Sapkal cite against the BJP–Mahayuti government?
Sapkal alleged rising inflation, unresolved farmer grievances, high unemployment, and deteriorating law and order. He also accused the government of spreading caste and religious divisions to divert attention from these failures.
What was the Congress's position on the student protests in Jharkhand?
Sapkal said Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had clearly condemned the lathi-charge on student protesters in Jharkhand as wrong. He also alleged that BJP MPs, who were now protesting in Parliament over the Jharkhand incidents, had remained silent when students were earlier subjected to lathi-charges and pellet guns at Jantar Mantar over paper leaks.
What did Sapkal say about Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah?
Sapkal alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had avoided participating in Parliament debates on the student crackdown. He remarked that a prime minister who had not held a press conference in 12 years and a home minister who avoids debates were 'the real leaders who run away.'
