DD logo change: Will Congress dare to remove saffron from party flag, asks MP CM Mohan Yadav

Bhopal: Amid objections raised by Opposition parties over the change in the colour of the logo of public broadcaster Doordarshan News from red to orange, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Sunday asked if the Congress would dare to remove the colour saffron from its flag.

Yadav, in a statement, said the Leftists and opposition parties did not understand that saffron is a symbol of sacrifice and renunciation and the Sun is the carrier of culture.

The change in the colour of the logo of public broadcaster Doordarshan News from red to orange has sparked off a political row, with the Opposition terming it as 'grossly illegal' and reflecting a 'pro-BJP bias'.

The public broadcaster unveiled the 'new look' DD News last week.

Reacting to the allegations made by the opposition parties, Yadav said, "What does Congress want? The Leftists and opposition parties don’t understand that saffron is a symbol of our sacrifice and vairagya (renunciation). The Sun is the carrier of our culture. Now, if there is such opposition to saffron, will the Congress dare to remove the colour from its flag?"

He further accused the opposition parties of insulting the entire Sanatan and Hindu culture.

The statements made by the Congress and Leftists on the logo change invoke laughter, shame and anger, the chief minister said.

Opposition parties have slammed the colour change, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dubbing it as an attempt at the 'saffronisation' of Doordarshan during elections.

In a post on X, senior Congress leader Manish Tewari said, "As former Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting @MIB_India (Minister for Information and Broadcasting), I wish @prasarbharati would focus more on improving the content of the public broadcaster rather than play paint box with the logo. It demonstrates an obsession with semantics over substance."

DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said that the logo change was a 'precursor' to the BJP's 'conspiracy' of saffronising everything.