Two days after the AP High Court directed the state government to remove party colours on panchayat offices and government buildings, the government seems to be in a defiant mode and in no mood to honor the court’s directive.

On Thursday, the government instead of removing the colours continued painting the walls of panchyat offices and government buildings with the party colours. The government cleverly added one more colour – terracotta (mud colour) above the three colours of the party – green, blue and white.

On Thursday, the state government issued a GO explaining what each colour indicates. As per the GO, green colour painted on the walls of the government buildings and panchayat offices indicates agriculture (green revolution), while blue (water resources, aquaculture industry) and white revolution (milk and milk products). Experts believe that the state government’s move to add mud colour to the existing three colours is an attempt to circumvent the High Court order. Mud colour, according to the YSRCP GO, indicates earth.

Several panchayat offices and government buildings were painted in the white, blue and green colours of the ruling YSRCP, ever since Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy rode to power. Hearing a petition filed by Muppa Venkateswara Rao, the High Court directed the state government to remove the party colours from the government buildings and pointed out that the colours could influence voters during the civic body elections.

Last week, the High Court noted that the manner in which entire the issue is being dealt with by the state government compels the court to think and observe that the state government was not removing the colours associated with the ruling YSRCP, from the walls of panchayat offices and other government buildings with an eye on the elections to civic bodies. The advocate general sought three months time and informed the High Court that the colours can be removed only once the lockdown is completely lifted and that the government will inform the court time needed to remove the party colours in the next hearing. Refusing to give three months time, the HC pulled up the government for dragging its feet on the issue. “We will give three months time with a condition that the state government will not hold elections till that time,” the High Court observed.

Recently, the state government also stated that it will move the Supreme Court challenging the HC’s order of scrapping the GO to make English medium of instruction compulsory in the government schools