The tussle over the Lotus symbol being printed on passports for security reasons has sparked outrage among people in India who called it propaganda and the promotion of the symbol of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"This symbol is our national flower and part of the enhanced security features to identify fake passports," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
However, the news of the replacement of the 'Lion' with the 'Lotus' symbol on Indian passports didn’t go over well with people, with taking to social media to vent their anger.
The issue also rocked India’s parliament as the opposition Indian National Congress questioned the move. Congress lawmaker M.K. Raghavan of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, said this is a “further saffronisation” of India.
But not all were offended by the new feature of the Indian passport. Many felt the Lotus should not be seen as a party symbol but as the national flower.
An MEA spokesman claimed, the additional security feature had been introduced as part of International Civil Aviation Organisation guidelines.