Bengaluru: Making sure there is no misunderstanding about the state designing its own Kannada flag, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has in a posting on his Facebook page explained that it was not intended to undermine the unity and integrity of the country. But he argued it was time for greater autonomy for states.
“My identity as a proud Kannadiga is not inconsistent with my identity as a proud Indian. So, in Karnataka when we speak about primacy for Kannada, argue against imposition of Hindi language, or call for adoption of a state flag, we are confident we are contributing to building of a strong India; for, a confident Indian nation is confident about the individuality of all her daughters.” he said.
Revealing that the new flag had been recommended to the Centre for incorporation under the schedule of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1950, he added, "Today, 70 years down the line, we have done admirably well as a nation. The Constitution of India has stood the test of time. We have also learnt useful lessons from the turmoils in Tamil Nadu over Hindi language imposition and demands of autonomy from certain states like Punjab and Assam. From a union of states, we are evolving into a federation of states. Therefore, I don’t think the demands for greater federal autonomy and recognition of regional identity are inconsistent with our nation."
The Chief Minister went on to make a case for greater autonomy for states to run their economic polices, borrow internationally and build the infrastructure of their choice without depending too much on licenses from the Centre and design their own programmes.
