Kerala Minister Sivankutty walks out of Raj Bhavan event over ‘Bharat Mata’ portrait; Raj Bhavan calls it a ‘grave insult’ to Governor

Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty walked out of an official function at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday in protest against the display of an image of Bharat Mata on the dais, alleging that it is associated with the RSS.

The incident, which occurred during the Rajya Puraskar award distribution ceremony of the Bharat Scouts and Guides attended by Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar, evoked a sharp response from the Raj Bhavan.

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Addressing a news conference later, Sivankutty said the Governor’s move to turn an official function at the Raj Bhavan into a political platform was a violation of the Constitution.

He flayed the inclusion of religious symbols at official events and said it violated the secular nature of government programmes. Sivankutty said he objected to the display of the Bharat Mata portrait at a government function before staging a walkout in protest.

In a statement, the Raj Bhavan said the Minister’s action was “a gross violation of protocol and a grave insult to the office of the Governor.” Quoting Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the statement said there is “no question of doing away with Bharat Mata.”

“The walkout staged by the Minister while the Governor was present was a gross violation of protocol and a grave insult to the office of the Governor,” the statement said.

“The Minister, who handles the education portfolio, has set an unprecedentedly wrong precedent by his misconduct. Significantly, the fact that the Minister came with a prepared speech, which he chose to read out, is a clear indication of his preparedness for an impending showdown,” the statement further said.

This is the second instance in which a minister in the LDF government boycotted a Raj Bhavan event, objecting to the display of the Bharat Mata portrait. Agriculture Minister P Prasad had kept away from another event at the Raj Bhavan on June 5 over the same issue.