Why Mahatma Gandhi refused to salute the national tricolour?

Lucknow: The Indian tricolour has always been the pride of every citizen of the country and we have been hoisting it with respect on every Independence Day since 1947. Moreover, not many of us know that Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi once refused to salute the flag in 1931.

What really happened:

On April 2/ 1931, the grand old Congress party formed a seven-member committee to give a finishing touch to the national flag. When the final sample of the national flag was designed, it had green and saffron stripes at both the ends and a blue-coloured ‘spinning wheel’ at the center.

The proposal of British union jack:

Post Independence, questions were once again raised on the national tricolour’s design and a committee, headed by Rajendra Prasad, was formed in this connection on June 23, 1947. On the next day, Lord Mountbatten proposed that the flag should have a sign of the British jack on it but the proposal was opposed by many and finally rejected.

The final design:

The constituent Assembly had inaugurated the final design of the Indian tricolor on July 22, 1947. The design remained the same except the spinning wheel which was replaced by the Ashok Chakra.

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Why Gandhiji refused to salute the Tiranga:

Father of nation Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was, however, not happy with the replacement of the spinning wheel in its ultimate design. He had suggested that the flag’s design should have the wheel which eventually did not happen. Owing to this, Mahatma Gandhi refused to salute the national tricolor.

Baapu did not want the Ashok Chakra to be printed on the flag as he thought it was a sign of violence. He was only convinced to accept it after Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel explained him that the chakra actually represented development and progress.