Doordarshan’s Flagship Logo Goes Saffron: Sparks Outrage

However, the opposition is expressing strong disapproval over the change.

The decision faced criticism from Jawhar Sircar, a member of the Rajya Sabha and former CEO of Prasar Bharati (DD, AIR), who remarked on what he perceived as the “saffronisation” of the national broadcaster.

“National broadcaster Doordarshan colours its historic flagship logo in saffron! As its ex-CEO, I have been watching its saffronisation with alarm and feel — it’s not Prasar Bharati any more — it’s Prachar Bharati!” (sic), he wrote on X.

Manish Tewari of the Congress, who served as the Information and Broadcasting Minister from 2012 to 2014, accused the government of endeavoring to exert control over government institutions through the alteration of the logo color.

In an exclusive conversation with India Today TV, Tewari said, “This is an attempt on the part of the government to saffronism and capture the government institutuins. The said move clearly undermines the neutrality and credibility of India’s public broadcaster.”

In response, BJP’s Andhra Pradesh state vice-president said, “When Doordarshan was launched in 1959, it had a saffron logo. Now, as the government reintroduces the original logo, liberals and Congress are outraging over it.”

“It’s blatantly obvious they harbor hate against ‘Bhagwa’ and Hindus,” (sic), he wrote on X.

In defense of the national broadcaster’s decision, Prasar Bharti CEO, Gaurav Dwivedi, described the new logo as a vibrant orange color. He emphasized that this change represents a shift in visual aesthetics.

“The colour is orange, not saffron,” he asserted.

“It is not just the logo that we have changed, the entire look and feel has been upgraded. It is incorrect and unfortunate that people are reading more into this. We were working on changing the look and feel of DD for the past six to eight months,” he said.

Meanwhile, sources within Prasar Bharti informed India Today TV that labeling the new logo’s color as associated with the BJP was “inaccurate.”

Throughout the years, Doordarshan has transitioned its logo color from blue to yellow and then to red. However, the central elements of the logo, including the two petals and the globe at the center, have remained consistent.