Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will formally register his government’s objection to Governor Rajendra Arlekar on the use of a saffron-clad Bharat Mata image affiliated with the RSS at official government events.
A decision was taken in this regard in the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday. As per the cabinet’s decision , the Chief Minister will convey to Governor Rajendra Arlekar that only officially sanctioned symbols should be used in government functions. He will assert that the inclusion of non-official imagery, such as the Bharat Mata figure in question, is unconstitutional.
Recently Kerala General Education Minister V. Sivankutty walked out of an official function at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram in protest against the display of an image of Bharat Mata at the dais, alleging that it is associated with the RSS.
The incident, that occured during the Rajya Puraskar award distribution ceremony of Bharat Scouts and Guides attended by Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar, evoked a sharp response from the Raj Bhavan.
Raj Bhavan had issued a press release criticising Sivankutty, alleging a breach of protocol and disrespect towards the Governor. The release stated that the minister left an event without informing anyone, setting a wrong precedent.
Sivankutty strongly rejected the statement issued by Raj Bhavan, and said that it was the primary duty of every citizen to take steps to protect the Constitution and the administrative system it establishes. He said that according to Article 163 of the Indian Constitution, the Governor should act on the advice of the State Council of Ministers.
Earlier on June 5, Agriculture Minister P Prasad had kept away from the World Environment Day event at the Raj Bhavan over the same issue.
Meanwhile, a protest broke out at the University of Kerala’s Senate Hall in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday evening after an event in which organizers placed an image of Bharat Mata. The Governor attended the function.
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Students’ wing of the CPI-M opposed the display, warning that they would block the Governor’s entry if the image was not removed. The Kerala Students Union (KSU) , the students’ wing of the Congress, also joined the protest, stating that religious symbols have no place within the university campus.
The Registrar denied permission for the program, alleging that it was a religious symbol, but the governor attended the program despite the protests.The University Registrar said that such programmes go against university norms.
The programme was organised by the Sree Padmanabha Seva Samithithi as part of the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Emergency period.
Despite the objections, the organisers refused to remove the image and proceeded with the event as planned. The Governor arrived at the venue under heavy police security and reached the stage, even as SFI activists attempted to block his entry.