Communist Party of India MP P Sandosh Kumar on Friday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu urging her to recall Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, citing his “unconstitutional conduct” and alleged misuse of gubernatorial authority.
In his letter, Mr Kumar expressed strong condemnation over the Governor’s decision to display a particular version of the Bharat Mata image during the Environment Day event at the Raj Bhavan in Kerala without consulting the elected state government. This move led to the boycott of the function by State Agriculture Minister P Prasad.
On Thursday, Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad had boycotted the state-level celebrations on World Environment Day at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. The reason being that the Minister did not want the picture of the Bharat Mata, commonly used by the RSS, to be placed on the central dais.
The CPI MP further accused the Governor of behaving like a “political agent” of the BJP-RSS, openly defying the constitutional framework that demands neutrality and respect for elected governments.
“This is not an isolated case. Governors in several states are increasingly behaving like political agents of the BJP-RSS, openly defying the constitutional framework that demands neutrality, restraint, and respect for elected governments,” said Mr Kumar in his letter.
Mr Kumar also raised concerns over the symbolic manipulation of Bharat Mata, terming it a “dangerous distortion” that cannot be accepted in state functions or constitutional offices.
”The CPI Parliamentary Party demanded that the President intervene urgently to restore the dignity and neutrality of the Governor’s office, ” the Kerala minister said.
This development adds to the growing tensions between the Kerala government and the Governor, with the ruling Left Front repeatedly accusing Arlekar’s partisan role.