{"id":129091,"date":"2022-09-16T21:42:07","date_gmt":"2022-09-16T16:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=129091"},"modified":"2022-09-17T13:09:28","modified_gmt":"2022-09-17T07:39:28","slug":"aaj-tak-india-today-and-bjp-leaders-false-claim-that-return-st-george-cross-naval-flag-done-upa-manmohan-singh-govt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/aaj-tak-india-today-and-bjp-leaders-false-claim-that-return-st-george-cross-naval-flag-done-upa-manmohan-singh-govt\/","title":{"rendered":"News channels, BJP leaders’ claim that UPA got St. George’s Cross back on Navy flag is false"},"content":{"rendered":"

On September 2, Prime Minister Narendra Modi <\/span>unveiled the new flag<\/span><\/a> of the Indian Navy in Kochi. The St George’s Cross was removed from the erstwhile flag and it was replaced with an octagonal shield inspired by the seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with the national emblem above the anchor. Below that, there is the motto of the Indian Navy, ‘Sham No Varunah’. Earlier, the flag featured the St. George’s Cross with the national emblem in the centre and ‘Satyamev Jayate’ written below it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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There was a flurry of debates on news channels regarding the change. Back in 2001, the flag of the Indian Navy had also been changed during the tenure of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the colonial emblem of St. George’s Cross was removed. The flag was again changed in 2004 and the St. George’s Cross was brought back. News channels and BJP leaders blamed the Congress, including the UPA government and the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh for the change. It was claimed that the flag was revised after the change of power in 2004 when the UPA government was at the Centre and Dr. Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister. BJP leaders accused the Congress party and Sonia Gandhi of bringing back the St George’s Cross on the Indian Navy flag because of their ‘attachment’ to the colonial symbol.<\/span><\/p>\n

On August 30, anchor Shiv Aroor on India Today News Channel’s <\/span>5ive Live<\/span><\/a> show claimed that Atal Bihari Vajpayee had removed the St. George’s Cross from the Navy’s flag in 2001, but in 2004, the UPA government brought it back. In the same show, Gaurav Sawant, managing editor and anchor of India Today channel made the same claim. In the beginning of the show, Shiv Aroor introduced Gaurav Sawant and stated that when the St George’s Cross was re-introduced in the Indian Navy flag back in 2004 under Manmohan Singh’s government, Sawant had first reported it. It is worth noting that Shiv Aroor is also the founder of Defence and Aerospace news website LiveFist.<\/span><\/p>\n