Following a controversy over the name of Jinnah Tower in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur, it has been painted in tricolour and arrangements will be made to hoist the national flag near it.

"On the request of various groups, it was decided to decorate the tower with the tricolour and to construct a pole to hoist the national flag near the tower," said Guntur East MLA Mohammed Musthafa.

"Necessary arrangements will be made to hoist the National flag at Jinnah Tower on Thursday," said Musthafa.

Musthafa visited the tower with GMC Mayor Kavati Manohar Naidu on Tuesday to inspect the security arrangements.

"Muslim elder leaders fought against the Britishers during the freedom struggle. After achieving independence, some of the Muslims left the country and settled in Pakistan. But, we wanted to continue in our country as Indians and we love our motherland," he said.

Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party which raised the issue of Jinnah tower earlier last month, Musthafa said, "BJP leaders should participate in helping needy people amid COVID19 pandemic, instead of provoking communal clashes."

Earlier on January 26, a group of people stormed into Jinnah Tower to unfurl the tricolour after which they were detained.

The Andhra Pradesh unit of BJP submitted a memorandum in December last year to the Guntur Municipal Corporation Commissioner Challa Anuradha requesting to rename Jinnah Tower after the name of former president Abdul Kalam.

(With Inputs from ANI)