‘Shameful,’ says Varun Gandhi on video of ration card holders being forced to buy national flags

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Varun Gandhi on Wednesday shared video on Twitter alleging that ration card holders are being forced to buy the national flag in order to procure their monthly provisions.

In the video that went viral on social media on Wednesday, several ration card holders allege that they were forced to pay Rs 20 for the national flag when they went to collect ration at a state-run depot. The video was recorded by a news portal in Haryana’s Karnal, NDTV reported.

“It would be unfortunate if the celebration of the 75th anniversary of independence becomes a burden on the poor,” Gandhi wrote in his tweet. “It is shameful to collect the price of the tricolour which resides in the heart of every Indian by snatching the morsel of the poor.”

The Union government has urged the citizens to hoist the Indian flag at their homes, under the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign to mark 75 years of India’s independence.

In the video, a man who appears to be a staff member at the ration depot, said that he has been ordered by senior officers to sell the flag for Rs 20 to every person who buys ration.

“We have been told not to give ration to anyone who refuses to buy the flag,” he said. “We have to do what we are ordered to.”

After the video was widely shared on social media, the depot owner’s licence was suspended for misleading the residents, Karnal Deputy Commissioner Anish Yadav said, according to NDTV.

Yadav requested the locals to inform the administration if they come across similar demands. National flags are being sold at the ration depots for the convenience of the people, and they can buy them if they want to, he added.

Despite being an MP of the BJP, Gandhi has repeatedly criticised various policies the Narendra Modi-led central government. He was dropped from the BJP’s national executive committee on October 7.