New Delhi: At a time when the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign has taken over the country, it gets important to remember the person who fought almost for decades demanding the right to hoist the Tricolor all around the year. Renowned industrialist Naveen Jindal won a decade-long court battle that enabled all Indians to display the national flag at their homes, offices and factories on all days of the year. In 2004, the Supreme Court ruled that the display of the national flag by every citizen on all days of the year is a fundamental right.
So, when the ETV Bharat interacted with Naveen Jindal he said, Why should our national flag be hoisted only for three days from August 13 to 15, it should be hoisted every day and for the whole year. He further said "I would say every house should have a tricolour and have it for every day. If people start hosting flag on these three days then they will keep hosting it for rest of the year also otherwise they themselves will have a feeling of desolation."
For the last thirty years, Naveen Jindal hasn't left his house without wearing a lapel flag on his shirt and a tricolor band on his wrist, as the tricolor has become an integral part of his life. Thirty years ago, when Naveen had returned from America after completing his studies, he hoisted the national flag at his factory in Raigad on 26th January. But the very next day a government official reached and got the flag 'taken down' saying that, the national flag can be hoisted by the common man only for two days in a year.
The incident was exasperating to Naveen that he kept the tricolor at his room and office in America for years, but he felt bad that he can't hoist the national flag in his own country. When he went into the details, he came to know that the real problem lies with the 'Flag Code of India', under which a common man can put the tricolour at his home or office only for two days in a year.
Naveen's love and passion for the national flag was so high that he fought a ten-year-long legal battle and won it. On 23 January 2004, the Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice V.N. Khare, Justice Brijesh Kumar and Justice S.B. Sinha declared that the right to fly the National Flag freely with respect and dignity is a fundamental right of an Indian citizen within the meaning of Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution of India.
Naveen says, 'The right has been given, but for the first time people were afraid to adopt it so that the national flag might not be insulted inadvertently. Then we formed a flag foundation. My wife and I brought out books, and did paintings, and exhibitions to popularize the flag among the people. We put high flags everywhere, as you would see now in Connaught Place. Now 600 similar kinds of 600 flags have been raised. Today India has the highest number of flags around the world."
However Naveen is a leader of the Congress party, but unabashedly supports the Modi government's 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, but chooses his words carefully - "One does not become a patriot just by hoisting the tricolour'. But today the Government of India has launched a campaign of tricolor at every home and the way the Prime Minister is motivating everyone for this, I am also very grateful to the Prime Minister for this, I am also very grateful to the Government of India. Till now the leaders used to ask for the flags of their respective parties. For the first time, the leaders in India are asking to hoist the national flag," he said.
Defending his party, he says, “Whatever changes made in the 'Flag Code', these were made clear in 2010 itself (during the UPA government). For example, the national flag can be made of any material. It could be nylon, it could be polyester. It had also come at that time that only that national flag can be taken down at night also, doing so can't be a legal violation in any way. But when the current government put it in the 'flag code' this July, it came in public domain easier for the people and now people can apply it," he said.
