Minister unfurls tricolour in Army dress; lands in controversy
A Puducherry minister has landed in a controversy after unfurling the national flag wearing an attire resembling an army uniform on Independence day. Revenue and Tourism Minister, Mr Malladi Krishna Rao's act in his home constituency of Yanam has drawn flak from the Opposition and other circles who questioned whether it was patriotic zeal or over-enthusiasm. Reacting strongly, Opposition AIADMK MLA, Mr Om Sakthi Sekar, said the minister had made a "mockery of the conventions and customs governing use of attire of defence personnel". When contacted, MrRao told PTI that every year on ceremonial occasions he would wear one type of attire or the other. He said he wanted to convey a message through such initiatives. He said he had consulted certain sections locally and had only then donned the attire which was not fully an army personnel's dress. Mr Rao claimed he had not used any emblems on the shoulders and had only displayed seven out of the 14 medals presented to him by the Puducherry government, Central government and organisations in Andhra Pradesh in recognition of his service and social work. When reporters sought clarification from Chief Minister, Mr V. Vaithilingam on the matter, he retorted "who said it is military dress. It is a costume. Just as you and I wear T-shirts he has donned the dress." Coming to the minister's defence, Mr Vaithilingam said, "Further he has not worn the shoe of a defence personnel. He has used only white shoe." Although the Puducherry government displayed the photos taken on the occasion at Yanam on the premises of the Assembly yesterday, they were removed on Thursday following the controversy.
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