In Keragodu village of Karnataka’s Mandya, a controversy over a Hanuman flag has led to political confrontations, protests, and police intervention. The incident took place last week when a group of men erected a 108-foot flagpole and raised a Hanuman flag.

The village panchayat had granted permission for the installation of the flagpole, but complaints were filed against it, prompting officials to request the removal of the Hanuman flag. Villagers, however, stood firm in their decision, accusing a few individuals of attempting to politicise the matter.  A large police contingent was deployed, and members of the BJP, JD(S), and Bajrang Dal joined villagers in protesting against the removal.

Protests escalated on Saturday when villagers closed their shops in defiance. Yesterday, Gram Panchayat officials visited the village to remove the flag, leading to a gathering of villagers chanting slogans of ‘Go Back’ in protest against the officials.

The controversy took a political turn when banners of local Congress MLA Ravi Kumar were vandalised during the protests. In response, police presence was heightened in the region, anticipating further unrest.

BJP leaders and Hindu activists strongly condemned the removal of the flag. The BJP announced plans to hold protests in all districts of Karnataka, with a specific protest scheduled at Mysuru Bank Circle in Bengaluru today.

To quell the unrest, police resorted to lathi charge and replacing the Hanuman flag with the national flag on the flagpole. Official sources revealed that the flag post’s installation was funded by residents of Keragodu and 12 neighboring villages, with the active involvement of BJP and JD(S) workers.

Opposition parties criticised the Congress-led government for the police intervention, with BJP leader R Ashoka condemning the government’s “anti-Hindu stance.” He argued that the Hanuman flag was raised with the gram panchayat’s approval, questioning the sudden removal by the Congress government.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah responded to the situation, expressing concern that a ‘bhagwa dwaja’ (saffron flag) had been raised instead of the national flag. 

“It is not right. I have asked (the authorities concerned) to hoist the national flag.” 

The District In-charge Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy clarified that the flagpole’s location falls under the panchayat’s jurisdiction, and permission was initially obtained for hoisting the national flag on Republic Day.

“There may be politics behind it (the installation of the Hanuman flag replacing the National Flag). I don’t know who is behind it …This country works under democracy and the Constitution. Tomorrow they may say they want to hoist the flag (saffron flag) in front of the DC’s office. Can it be allowed? If it is permitted at one place, it will extend to other places. This is the only reservation,” he said.

“We are not here to hurt our youth. I have spoken to officials, police and youths. We are ready to install the Hanuman flag at a private place or near a temple. We will support them. We too are Rama Bhaktas,” he added.

Janata Dal-United (JDU) chief Nitish Kumar took oath for the ninth time as Bihar Chief Minister yesterday, marking a seismic shift in alliances. The once ‘Mahagathbandhan’ architect severed ties with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, forming a coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan witnessed the initiation of a revamped team, with key players including Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha, and others, setting the stage for a political renaissance in Bihar.

At the heart of this transition is Samrat Choudhary, the newly appointed Deputy Chief Minister and BJP state President. Mr Choudhary has been a prominent figure in Bihar politics, adorned with a turban that he once vowed to discard only after his party comes to power in the state. The 54-year-old assumed the state BJP chief role in March last year and has a political journey that weaves through multiple parties, including the RJD and the JDU.

Mr Choudhary, an OBC leader from the Koeri community, has previously held positions as Minister for Urban Development and Housing, Health, and Minister of Metrology and Horticulture. 

On the other hand, Vijay Kumar Sinha, 64, belongs to the influential, upper caste Bhumihar community.

Born to a school teacher in Lakhisarai district, Mr Sinha’s political journey began with his involvement in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), during his civil engineering days at a polytechnic in Barauni. 

Mr Sinha’s initiation into electoral politics took place in 2010 when he made his debut in the Bihar Assembly. Seven years later, he was appointed as the Minister of Labour Resources.

In 2020, he became Speaker of the Bihar Assembly. His tenure as the Speaker was marked by instances such as Nitish Kumar’s outburst on the floor of the House and a tense episode where he was held hostage inside his chamber by members of the RJD in 2021.

The deputy chief ministerial duo of Mr Choudhary and Mr Sinha highlights a calculated move by the BJP to balance caste considerations. This strategic pairing aims to appease OBCs while retaining the support of the core upper caste base. 

The broader cabinet comprises leaders like Prem Kumar, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Vijendra Yadav, Santosh Kumar Suman, Shravan Kumar, and Independent MLA Sumit Kumar Singh.

JDU’s Shravan Kumar belongs to the Kurmi community, the same as Nitish Kumar. According to the recent Bihar caste survey, Kurmis constitute 2.8 per cent of the total population.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered Bihar today, a day after his party went from being a part of the state’s ruling coalition to the Opposition, thanks to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s fifth flip-flop in a decade.

Mr Gandhi’s yatra, a desperate attempt by the Congress to rally support ahead of Lok Sabha polls, started at Manipur on January 14. After travelling through the Northeast, it reached Bengal on Thursday before Mr Gandhi took a break and flew to Delhi.

When Mr Gandhi boarded the plane to Delhi, the Congress was part of the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar led by Mr Kumar. As he resumes the yatra after a two-day break, Mr Kumar is in the same post, but his new partners are BJP and the Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha.

The yatra started in Sonapur in Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district this morning and reached Kishanganj in Bihar around 11 am. A Muslim-dominated area, the Kishanganj Lok Sabha constituency has been with the Congress since the 2009 Lok Sabha election. The rally will move to Purnea tomorrow and Katihar the day after. Both districts are JDU strongholds and when the yatra started, it was friendly territory for the Congress. Now, the equations have changed.

This will Mr Gandhi’s first visit to Bihar since the 2020 Assembly election. The 2020 election was followed by NDA alliance forming the government under Mr Kumar. Two years later, in August 2022, Mr Kumar walked out of the NDA alliance and reunited with estranged allies RJD and Congress. Yesterday, he made another flip-flop, teaming up with NDA again.

Leaders of the state Congress said the party’s alliance partners in Bihar, RJD and CPI(ML)-L, have been invited to the Purnea rally.

During the public addresses during the Bihar leg of the Yatra, Mr Gandhi is likely to target Mr Kumar over his latest volte-face. The Congress has reacted strongly to the Bihar reversal, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge referring to Mr Kumar as “aaya ram gaya ram” – a term used for politicians who keep changing sides.

The JDU, on its part, has accused the Congress of trying to hijack the INDIA platform. In his first remarks after resigning as Chief Minister, Mr Kumar, who was at the forefront of the formation of the Opposition bloc, said things were not moving in the INDIA bloc. Senior JDU leader KC Tyagi said the alliance ended because of the Congress’s arrogance.

After Bihar, the yatra is scheduled to re-enter Bengal before proceeding to Jharkhand. The march will end at Mumbai in March.