Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday justified the authorities’ move to take down Lord Hanuman’s portrait from a 108-feet-high flagpole in Mandya’s Keragodu village, saying they should have hoisted the national flag.

“It is not right to fly the saffron flag instead of the national flag. They should have hoisted the national flag,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The move has triggered a massive political controversy with the BJP squarely blaming the Congress for the incident.

“When the Gram Panchayat Board decided to hoist the Hanuman flag on a 108-feet high flagpole in the village of Keragodu in Mandya district, the state government showed the audacity to bring down the flag through the police force. The Congress government is the reason behind the deteriorating law and order situation of the state,” said Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra.

What happened in Karnataka’s village?

On Sunday, the police removed the Hanuma Dwaja, a saffron flag bearing lord Hanuman’s portrait, from a 108-ft tall flag post in Mandya’s Keragodu village.

The supporters of the BJP, JD(S) and Bajrang Dal launched a massive protest against the authorities for trying to remove the flag.

The police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.

The police and the local administration later took down the Hanuman flag and installed the national tricolor on the flagpole.

News agency PTI reported that the people of Keragodu and 12 neighbouring villages had collected the money for the installation of the flagpole and Lord Hanuman’s portrait. Reportedly, BJP and JD(S) workers were actively involved in this initiative.

The police action was taken after some unknown individuals filed a complaint. The taluk panchayat executive officer directed the gram panchayat officials to remove the flag, reported PTI.

Scores of locals, including women, protested the move. They also held an overnight vigil.

On Sunday morning, protesters chanted slogans against the chief minister and Mandya Congress MLA Ganiga Ravikumar.

In the afternoon, the police used force to clear the area.

Mandya District in-charge Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy clarified that the flagpole’s location fell under the panchayat’s jurisdiction, and permission was obtained to hoist the national flag. “But it was replaced by another flag that evening” he claimed.

Leader of Opposition R Ashoka has condemned the government for its alleged “anti-Hindu stance”.

“What was the need for police action? Why didn’t the administration speak to the villagers? There was a gram panchayat resolution to allow the flag,” he said.

With inputs from PTI, ANI