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New Delhi: Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday criticized the Indian hockey team’s decision to change the jersey colour from blue to saffron. She linked the move to larger concerns about attempts to rewrite the country’s history. Speaking to reporters during the monsoon session of Parliament, Priyanka Gandhi said the country’s identity is rooted in non-violence, truth and brotherhood, and these values ​​cannot be taken away. Her comments came after Hockey India released new jerseys for the senior men’s and women’s teams on July 27, ahead of the upcoming FIH Men’s and Women’s Hockey World Cups.

The Congress MP said, “Whether they change their uniforms or try to rewrite history through their education policy, they can do anything. You’ve seen what our country’s youth think about this. You heard what the youth gathered at Jantar Mantar were saying. This is the voice of the nation.” The Congress MP further said that this country’s fight for independence was based on nonviolence and truth. The RSS had no role in it. The entire country knows the truth, and those who didn’t know are now realizing their true intentions.

She said that Congress led the freedom movement under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi and stressed that the country’s core values ​​cannot be changed. Priyanka Gandhi said that the Congress Party led that movement under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi and that the soul of this country is rooted in non-violence, truth, and brotherhood. No one can take that away, not the RSS, not anyone else. She further said that no matter how much they divide, incite violence, or spread hatred, the soul of the country—defined by brotherhood, mutual love, and unity—remains intact; they cannot take it away.

It should be noted that earlier, former Indian hockey captain and Olympian Viren Rasquinha had questioned Hockey India’s decision to make the national team wear orange jerseys. He said that the team’s identity and heritage have always been associated with the color blue. Expressing his disappointment on X, Viren wrote, “I must say that @TheHockeyIndia has done a lot of good things (for hockey). But this is shameful. The Indian team’s identity and heritage has always been ‘blue’. I have worn the blue jersey with pride for many years. Fans want to see our Indian team in blue. What is the logic behind the orange color?”