A BJP flag was found tied around the shoulder of a bust of Mahatma Gandhi on the Palakkad municipality compound in Kerala on Monday, the “insult” triggering protests by the Congress and the CPM.

Congress and CPM councillors had noticed the flag after elections to the municipal standing committee at the BJP-ruled civic body ended around 11.30am.

A large number of Congress and CPM workers rushed to the spot. Workers of CPM youth wing DYFI marched in with portraits of Gandhi, chanted anti-BJP slogans and demanded action against those responsible. They garlanded the bust after police arrived and removed the BJP flag.

The BJP denied any role and suggested a Congress conspiracy.

Less than a month ago, the municipality had witnessed a similar controversy after the BJP retained it in the local body elections.

BJP workers had then hung two massive banners from the roof of the municipality building, one emblazoned with “Jai Sri Ram” and the other carrying pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah.

Following a complaint from the municipality secretary — a government official — the police had arrested a few BJP workers on the charge of disturbing amity.

Former Palakkad MP and CPI member M.B. Rajesh described the flag incident as “another direct and brazenly defiant attack on the idea of India as propounded by Gandhiji”.

“It’s not that they didn’t have any other place to tie their flag. This is their way of declaring their true intent for a theocratic state, sidelining Gandhiji’s secular ideals,” Rajesh told The Telegraph.

“Winning just one municipality (in Kerala) has turned them so arrogant. Imagine if they win a few more....”

District BJP president E. Krishnadas called it a “drama” staged by the Congress.

“We have nothing to do with this. In fact, our people saw about 50 Congress workers rushing towards the statue around 11.30am with their party flags. My question is, why did they come to the municipality complex with their party flags?” Krishnadas said.

“This is a well-scripted drama by the Congress to create a controversy and blame us for something we didn’t do.”

He said no one had seen the BJP flag when the premises were cleaned earlier in the morning.

Senior Congress leader Pandalam Sudhakaran said: “Everyone knows the BJP is against Mahatma Gandhi’s message of peace and secularism. It’s arrogance, not ignorance, that led them to insult the Father of the Nation.” He demanded the police arrest the “real anti-nationals” behind the “sacrilege”.