India saddened at dishonour to Tricolour on R-Day: PM on Red Fort incident

In his monthly radio broadcast, ‘Mann Ki Baat‘, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday (January 31), said the country was saddened at the dishonour to the Tricolour on Republic Day, referring to the raising of religious flag at Red Fort during the farmers’ tractor parade.

“In Delhi, on January 26, the country was very pained seeing the dishonour to the Tricolour,” he said. Addressing the nation in his first Mann Ki Baat of the year, Modi said the government is committed to modernising agriculture and is taking many steps towards this.

On the fight against COVID-19, the prime minister said India has not only rolled out the world’s largest vaccination drive but also is also vaccinating its citizens at the fastest rate. The country has vaccinated over 30 lakh corona warriors in 15 days, he said, adding that the US and the UK took 18 and 36 days, respectively, to reach this figure.

Modi also touched upon the Padma awards announced last week, and said the country has continued the recent tradition of honouring unsung heroes.

The prime minister also hailed the Indian cricket team’s performance in its historic series win in Australia, saying that the team’s hard work and teamwork were inspirational.

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The Red Fort witnessed violence on Republic Day (January 26), when groups of farmers protesting against the new farm laws entered the fort and on its ramparts hoisted a Sikh religious flag on an empty mast just below the national flag. The police then used batons to remove them. The farmers alleged that Punjabi actor-activist Deep Sidhu had instigated the violence and the hoisting of the Sikh religious flag.

The fort has been shut till January 31 by the Archeological Survey of India.

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The Prime Minister’s remarks come amid ongoing protests by thousands of farmers, mostly from Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, at several border points into Delhi since November-end, demanding a repeal of the three new agri laws and a legal guarantee to the minimum support system for their crops.

The Prime Minister had said at an all party meet, on Saturday (January 30), that his government’s proposal of suspending farm laws for 18 months, while negotiating with farmers, stands.

(With inputs from agencies)