HT Digital,
Kolkata, April 20: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock and disapproval over the alleged saffronisation of the Doordarshan logo during the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct for the national elections.
Banerjee, via her official social media, criticised the unexpected colour change of the national public broadcaster’s logo, denouncing it as unethical, illegal, and suggestive of a pro-BJP bias.
She called upon the Election Commission of India to intervene and restore the original blue colour of the logo. Meanwhile, Doordarshan, the independent public broadcaster, switched its traditional red logo to an orange shade, triggering backlash from opposition groups.
Jawhar Sircar, former CEO of Doordarshan’s parent body, Prasar Bharati, criticised the move as a breach of the Model Code of Conduct.
Nevertheless, the current head of Prasar Bharati defended the change, stating it was motivated by visual aesthetics and the need to remain relevant, and clarified that the new colour was orange, not saffron.
