Thiruvananthapuram: The Bharat Mata controversy resurfaced in Kerala after State General Education Minister V Sivankutty walked out of a state government event at Raj Bhavan on Thursday, protesting against the display of an image widely used in RSS functions, during the programme.
Following his walkout, the Raj Bhavan issued a statement in which Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar said, “there is no question of doing away with Bharathambha (Bharat Mata)”.
Earlier this month, state Agriculture Minister P Prasad had boycotted the Environment Day event at the Raj Bhavan over the display of the portrait.
The move had led to a row between the CPI and Governor Arlekar, who had asserted that there would be no compromise on Bharat Mata.
The latest incident of Sivankutty walking out of the event over the portrait comes a day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticised the display of the Bharat Mata portrait at the Raj Bhavan, stating that the Governor’s office should not be used to promote the ideological agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Giving details of what happened, Sivankutty said that a ‘Scout and Guide Certificate’ distribution programme for schoolchildren was held at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday morning and when he arrived there, he saw the Bharat Mata portrait onstage with a lamp lit before it.
He said that he had arrived a bit late to the event as he had to attend another programme before that where CM Vijayan was speaking.
“After the CM’s speech, I left for this event. When I reached the Raj Bhavan, I saw the Bharat Mata portrait with the saffron flag on the stage and that it was being paid floral tributes and a lamp was being lit before it,” he said.
“What happened at the event shows arrogance,” he added.
As the event commenced and he was invited to deliver the presidential address, he strongly protested against the display of the portrait in an official government programme and walked out from there, Sivankutty told reporters here.
“I told the Governor during my speech that it was a state government programme being conducted jointly by the Raj Bhavan and the state administration and the Bharat Mata portrait displayed here is that of a political organisation. Lighting a lamp before it was not correct as it is an official programme “I strongly protest against this. The Kerala government’s stand about it has already been conveyed by the CM a day ago. If a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi or the Prime Minister were displayed, it would have been prestigious. Instead Raj Bhavan has been turned into a political centre,” he said.
Sivankutty said that after conveying his protest, he walked out of the event.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan said that had the government indicated its strong protest right after the first incident, “it would not have been repeated again”.
He claimed that the CM reacted very late to the incident.
“Since the government did not indicate its protest earlier, it was repeated. So, no point in putting up such shows now. The government needs to indicate its protest to the Governor and not the media,” he said, referring to Sivankutty’s walkout.
Sivankutty, during his press meet, also claimed that there was no mention about the portrait being displayed at the event in the programme schedule.
“We cannot allow Raj Bhavan to be turned into an RSS centre. This Governor has taken a political stand which is much worse than that of former Governors,” he said.
The minister further said that if government events are held in this manner, then children would not be sent to the Raj Bhavan in future.
“I could have asked the students at the event to also leave, but it was my decency that I did not do so,” he said.
He also alleged that the Governor, through the display of the portrait, has tried to communalise the minds of the students.
“Children have not seen this portrait before. It will probably be made part of the textbooks now,” the minister said.
On being asked what the government would do if oath-taking ceremonies or other official programmes are held at the Raj Bhavan and the portrait is displayed there, he said that an appropriate decision would be taken at that time. PTI HMP HMP KH
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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