Citizens should feel proud of the National Medical Commission’s logo instead of questioning it, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

He made the statement while responding to Trinamool Congress MP Santanu Sen during Zero Hour. Sen claimed that recent changes to the logo were against the Constitution and demanded that the old one be restored.

The National Medical Commission has replaced the national emblem of India with a coloured image of Hindu deity Dhanvantari and added the word “Bharat” to its official logo. According to Hindu mythology, Dhanvantari is the god of Ayurveda.

After a controversy broke out in connection with the logo last month, the commission said that the logo has been in use for over a year. The only recent changes were that the image of Dhanvantari was changed from black and white to colour, and that the word “India” was replaced with “Bharat”, officials said.

Mandaviya reiterated in the Rajya Sabha on Monday that the only new change to the logo was that the image of the deity was changed from black and white to colour.

“Dhanvantari is a symbol of Indian medical science,” he said. “We can take inspiration from our traditions and move forward. I think we should feel proud instead of questioning it.”

Sen said that the National Medical Commission’s function is not to promote any particular religion, and contended that the change in the logo was not needed.

“It [modified logo] is against the basic oath which we, the doctors, take after passing MBBS, be it the Charak oath or Hippocratic oath,” he told the House. “We take oath that we will treat each and every patient, irrespective of the caste, creed or religion.”