Mr. President, Sir, the Honourable Mover of this motion Pandit Nehru, said that he felt it a proud privilege to move this Motion and present this Flag to this House. Sir, it is not the proud privilege of only Hon’ble Pandit Nehru today, but it is the proud privilege of the whole Nation to see this Flag round which the people have struggled hard to win freedom has become an accomplished fact, that the National Flag hereafter shall be an officially recognised Flag. While our young and old men and women and children hoisted this Flag on private houses and public buildings, the British bureaucracy in India pulled it down and trampled it under their feet. Notwithstanding that, our countrymen took up, that very Flag and hoisted it on the very building from which it had been pulled down. While doing so they strictly followed the doctrine given to us by Mahatma Gandhi to carry on the struggle in a non-violent way. Mahatma Gandhi enjoined upon us to be non-violent in word, thought and deed. I must admit, Sir, while it has not been possible to follow non-violence in word and thought, I along, with millions of Indians have strictly followed the principle of nonviolence while fighting the battle against the British bureaucracy in India. Through that non-violent struggle we have been able to achieve our cherished goal today. On the Flag problem, a popular slogan went round, ”Up, up with the National Flag; down, down with the Union Jack”. We do not mean disrespect to any Nation’s Flag, but we considered the hoisting of the British Flag here, a symbol of slavery. On 15th August this Flag which has been presented to us today will be hoisted on this August Assembly, on the great magnificent Secretariat Buildings and I may also say, Sir, on the Viceregal Lodge. (Cheers). And the Union Jack will be respectfully, slowly and solemnly brought down. Undoubtedly, on that day, the National Flag will be hoisted all over India and it will be saluted by everyone.
