Rahul to Accept Dalit-Made National Flag Rejected by CM Rupani

The 125 x 83.3 feet flag was made as part of the movement to end untouchability in the country.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is all set to accept a 125 x 83.3 feet giant tricolour made by the Dalit community, which was apparently rejected by CM Vijay Rupani citing ‘lack of space’.

The national flag was meant to be presented to Rupani in August, but officials in the state capital had reportedly refused to accept it.

Gandhi is on a two-day visit to the poll-bound Gujarat to lead his party's election campaign ahead of the first phase of polling for 89 seats next month.

He will be visiting the Dalit Shakti Kendra (DSK), a vocational training institute run by Dalit activists, near Sanand town to accept the flag.

This is the largest national flag ever made. Though it was meant to be presented to Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, he had refused to accept it when Dalits went to Gandhinagar in August. When Rahulji learned about it, he conveyed his desire to accept the flag with full honour.

Manish Doshi, Gujarat Congress spokesperson 

According to the founder of the DSK, Martin Macwan, the giant flag was made as part of their movement to end untouchability in the country.

This flag, made from khadi and weighing around 240 kg, was prepared by around 100 DSK students from Dalit and backward communities. Though we went to Gandhinagar to hand it over to the CM on 11 August, he did not meet us. Officials at the Gandhinagar collectorate also refused to accept it, saying they don’t have the space to keep it

Martin Macwan, Founder, Dalit Shakti Kendra

Macwan told The Indian Express that 125 feet length of the flag signifies 125 years of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s birth anniversary in 2017. He said that this was an insult to the flag made by Dalits from 10 states.

"It was disheartening because we just wanted to spread the message, and wanted to urge the CM to do his bit in Gujarat to end the practice of untouchability. When Rahul Gandhi learned about it, he informed us that he will accept the flag when he will visit the DSK," Macwan added.

Apart from interacting with Dalits in Sanand, Gandhi will interact with fishermen, doctors, teachers and villagers on his route covering Porbandar, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Mahisagar and Dahod district during his two-day visit.

He will also visit Ahmedabad to take part in two separate interactive sessions, one with doctors and medical professional,s and another with lecturers and primary school teachers.

Polling for the two-phase elections in the state, having total 182 seats, is slated to take place on 9 and 14 December and votes will be counted on 18 December.

(With inputs from PTI and The Indian Express)

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