Naveen Patnaik, chief minister of Odisha, said changing the jersey colour is unnecessary.
The current jersey colour for the national field hockey team is blue.
Proposed new colour saffron is a bright orange shade associated with certain political symbols.
Patnaik emphasized that sports traditions should stay the same even when governments change.
He argued that sports symbols should remain consistent regardless of political changes.
The suggestion to change the colour came from officials in the state government.
Patnaik's remarks highlight the debate over tradition versus political influence in sports.
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