Hockey India cannot seem to catch a break. After controversies over allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation, the federation has sparked another row after deciding to change the team’s jersey colour from its traditional blue kit.The new jersey unveiled is bright orange or saffron, which Hockey India described as “a symbol of courage, sacrifice and national pride”.However, the new jersey drew widespread criticism from fans and former players, including former captain Viren Rasquinha. “I must say that Hockey India has done many good things for Indian hockey. But this is embarrassing. The legacy & identity of the Indian team has always been BLUE. I wore the blue jersey with pride for many years. Fans want to see our Indian team in blue. What is the logic of orange?” he wrote in a social media post.The issue also found mention in Parliament, with Opposition leaders expressing concern, saying that the Indian Army’s uniform could be next. They accused the BJP and RSS of trying to impose saffron everywhere.Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the change in jersey reflected a wider attempt by the BJP and the RSS to reshape the country’s identity, history and institutions. Congress MP Amar Singh alleged that the BJP wanted to saffronise everything and warned that they might do the same with the Army’s uniform. TMC leader Kirti Azad also questioned the need to replace the traditional blue jersey.Following the controversy, Hockey India issued a statement, saying the decision had been taken after consultations with the players and the coaching staff.“We wish to inform you that the decision to change the uniform colour was based on recommendations from the support staff and players after detailed consultations. The primary consideration was technical. It was observed that the blue playing uniform tended to blend with the blue synthetic playing surface, which is now the standard colour of international hockey pitches. This visual similarity affected on-field clarity and visibility for the players,” Hockey India said in the statement on Thursday.“In light of this, the coaches and players suggested alternative colours such as yellow or saffron. After careful consideration, saffron was finalised. Apart from addressing the technical requirement, saffron also holds deep significance as one of the colours of our National Flag, symbolising courage, sacrifice and national pride,” it added.