West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed outrage over what she termed as the “saffronisation” of the Doordarshan logo after the government-owned broadcaster Prasar Bharati changed its colour to orange. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo deemed the move “absolutely unethical” and “grossly illegal,” especially when general elections are ongoing across India.
In a post on X, Banerjee highlighted her concern, stating, “I am shocked at the sudden saffronisation and change of colour of our Doordarshan logo when the national elections are taking place across the country! It is absolutely unethical, grossly illegal, and speaks loudly of the pro-BJP bias of the national public broadcaster!” The chief minister questioned the Election Commission of India for allowing this “pro-Saffron violation of the Model Code of Conduct” during elections.
Banerjee urged the poll body to reverse the change immediately and return to the original blue colour of the Doordarshan logo. The saffron colour is often associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh Parivar, leading to the perception of bias in a national broadcaster.
However, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya dismissed Banerjee’s accusations, arguing that the logo’s saffron colour was tested in 1982 and is merely a return to tradition. “On Doordarshan’s saffron colour—it was tested way back in 1982. So, don’t be shocked and find out who changed it to blue,” he said. Malviya also countered Banerjee’s critique by remarking that her recent language had been “crass and disgusting,” suggesting it was driven by the prospect of losing the election.
Former Prasar Bharati CEO and TMC’s Rajya Sabha member Jawhar Sircar joined the criticism, describing the logo’s colour shift as a sign of “saffronisation.” He called it an optical construct where the identity of the party and the state merge, indicating a totalitarian regime’s traits.
Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi defended the logo change, noting that the network’s English news channel, DD India, had adopted the same colour ahead of the G20 summit, and that another channel, DD National, had shifted to orange and blue last year. Despite the controversies, the debate around the Doordarshan logo reflects broader political tensions in the lead-up to national elections.
