Bengaluru, May 2: The Karnataka Flag issue has been put on hold by the government in wake of the upcoming Assembly in the state. The government on Tuesday said the Karnataka government’s proposal to approve an official flag for the state was put on hold as the election code of conduct came into force due to the upcoming Assembly polls. It must be noted that the Home Ministry’s comments came after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve the state flag.

“The request for a separate flag was received from Karnataka. Since the election code of conduct has come into force, the consideration has been put on hold,” an official spokesperson said. The Assembly elections in Karnataka would be held on May 12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state on Tuesday for campaigning for the BJP.

Invoking Kannada pride, Siddaramaiah had on Monday asked the Prime Minister to approve the state flag. “Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has declared himself a Kannadiga. Becoming Kannadiga means accepting Kannada language, naada geete (state anthem), naadadwaja (state flag),” he said. “Will you become true Kannadiga by giving approval to Karnataka’s nada dwaja? #AnswerMadiModi,” Siddaramaiah tweeted in Kannada.

Ahead of the poles in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah had unveiled the proposed official state flag for the state in March. The state’s flag, in hues of yellow, white and red, has the state’s emblem ‘Gandaberunda’, a two-headed mythological bird, at its centre. The proposal was forwarded to the Centre for mandatory approval.

In March, the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government unveiled a state flag. The flag consists of three colours- red, white and yellow and has state emblem “Ganda Bherunda”, a two-headed mythical bird in the middle. Karnataka previously had an unofficial yellow and red flag. But after repeated demands for a separate flag, the state government formed a nine-member committee to work upon a design for the official state flag in July 2017.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 02, 2018 11:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).