Kerala education minister walks out of Raj Bhavan event in protest of RSS-styled Bharat Mata portrait

Earlier this month, state Agriculture Minister P Prasad had boycotted the Environment Day event at the Raj Bhavan over the display of the portrait.
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)'.
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.
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.
Also read: Savarkar severely criticised RSS for its 'purely cultural' orientation

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Hindu

32 minutes ago

• The Hindu

Left stages protest in Ballari condemning attacks on Palestine and Iran

On the occasion of National Communal Harmony Day, various Left parties staged a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office in Ballari, condemning the 'imperialist aggression' against Palestine and Iran. The demonstration strongly denounced the alleged massacre being carried out by Israel in Gaza with the support of the United States, as well as the recent bombing of Iran. Protesters urged the Indian government to oppose the war-mongering policies of the United States and Israel and to adopt an unequivocal anti-war stance. Addressing the gathering, district secretary of SUCI(C) S. Radhakrishna Upadhya said that creating conflict zones across the globe to sell arms and increase profits is the business model of American capitalists. 'U.S. President Donald Trump represents these capitalist interests. Facing an economic crisis, the United States seeks revival through artificial means like war. To counter this war-hungry agenda of America, Israel and other imperialist nations, global anti-war and workers movements must be intensified to push back against imperialist designs,' he said. CPI(M) district secretary Satyababu stated that Israel, emboldened by U.S. support, has been conducting barbaric bombing campaigns on Gaza for the past two years, violating ceasefire agreements. 'Schools, hospitals, and mosques have been targeted and over 55,000 Palestinian civilians, including a large number of women and children, have been killed. Now, it has launched airstrikes on Iran, killing several 'key figures',' he said. Veteran trade union leader T.G. Vitthal remarked that the BJP-led Union government aligned itself with the interests of the U.S. and Israel, thereby undermining India's anti-imperialist legacy rooted in the freedom movement. Many labour leaders, including Pramod, A. Devadas, Chandra Kumari, Guru Murthy, Somashekhar Gowda, Shanta, Nagarathna and Hanumappa, participated in the agitation.

Hans India

41 minutes ago

• Hans India

Children of ‘anti-English' BJP leaders learn the same language, study abroad: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday advocated English as a means for the underprivileged to get jobs and move ahead in life, a remark that targets the BJP-RSS for what he calls their aversion to the colonial-era official language. 'In today's world, English is as important as your mother tongue - because it will provide employment and boost your confidence,' said Gandhi in a message to the youth on X. He said, "English is not a dam, it is a bridge. English is not a shame, it is power. English is not a chain - it is a tool to break the chains." He also lashed out at leaders from the BJP, whose own wards speak English and study abroad, while the latter dissuade the masses in India from using English. 'The BJP-RSS don't want poor kids of India to learn English - because they don't want you to ask questions, move ahead, and become equal. In today's world, English is as important as your mother tongue - because it will provide employment and boost your confidence,' wrote LoP Rahul Gandhi on X in Hindi. LoP Rahul Gandhi's message on social media also carried a short video with some young men and a list of Union Ministers whose children study in foreign universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, Warwick University, Oxford University, Tufts University and the University of London. LoP Rahul Gandhi's remarks come close to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's observation at an event on Thursday that the time is not far when 'English-speaking people would themselves feel ashamed'. Amit Shah's comments, made at a Hindi book's launch, followed a co-speaker's concerns over the perceived threat to Hindi and differences within people over its use. 'Mark my words, there is no crisis. In the coming years, such an Indian society is soon going to become a reality in which English-speaking people would themselves feel ashamed,' said Amit Shah. Half-baked knowledge acquired through foreign languages cannot lead to a complete understanding of Indian culture, history and religion, he said, emphasising Hindi's role as a uniting factor in the country. LoP Rahul Gandhi's remarks on valuing Indian languages also carried a powerful message against the alleged imposition of Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states like Tamil Nadu. 'Every language of India has soul, culture, and knowledge. We have to cherish them, and at the same time, teach English to every child. This is the path to an India that competes with the world, that gives every child an equal opportunity,' said LoP Rahul Gandhi.

India Gazette

an hour ago

• India Gazette

There are increasing attempts to destabilise elected governments by using governors: Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], June 20 (ANI): Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty announced on Friday that the powers and duties of governors will be included in school textbooks. Minister Sivankutty told reporters that the governor's powers and duties will be included in school textbooks. 'The state's curriculum has been revised to uphold constitutional values. The Department of Public Education will give priority to providing the necessary support to emulate them in life and through school education activities.' 'There are increasing attempts to destabilise elected governments in the country by using governors. The Supreme Court itself has clarified the constitutional powers of governors. Since schools are the real places where the values of democracy should be learned, this matter will be included separately in the revised textbooks to teach students about the constitutional powers of governors. This subject will be included in the second volume of Social Science this year and during the revision of higher secondary textbooks.' Sivankutty stated. Earlier, Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty criticized the BJP-led central government over its decision to give Hindi titles to English medium textbooks of NCERT, calling it against the 'federal' principles of the nation. Speaking to ANI, Sivankutty said that a letter has been sent to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan regarding the issue, and this matter will be raised in the upcoming NCERT meeting. 'We had earlier expressed strong protest against assigning Hindi titles to English medium textbooks. However, the Centre has not taken any corrective action so far. That is why a letter has been sent to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan regarding the issue. Assigning Hindi names to English-medium books goes against the federal principles of our nation. This matter will be raised in the upcoming NCERT meeting,' the Kerala Education Minister said. On the PM SHRI scheme, he said, 'There is no need to reject the funds offered through the PM SHRI scheme. That money is the rightful share of Kerala. While there are points of agreement and disagreement with the National Education Policy, such differences are natural in a democracy. We will also raise this topic in the next NCERT meeting,' he added. Recently, NCERT released the new names of books for various classes. Class 1 and Class 2 books are now named as 'Mridang' and a Class 3 book is named 'Santoor'. The Class 6 English book has been renamed from 'Honeysuckle' to 'Poorvi'. The recent name changes have reignited the language row as multiple ministers of different states, including Kerala and Tamil, accuse the central government of trying to 'impose Hindi' on school students through the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP). Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has also criticised the central government for 'Hindi imposition' before, claiming that the latter has denied certain funds to state schools for refusing to implement the three-language formula in the NEP. (ANI)