'Bharat Mata' row continues in Kerala with Guv tribute to portrait, CPI poster withdrawal

As part of the Goa Day celebrations at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, Arlekar paid floral tributes to the same 'Bharat Mata' portrait which had resulted in State Agricultural Minister P Prasad boycotting the Environment Day event there last week.

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Hindustan Times

7 hours ago

• Hindustan Times

Kerala to include lesson on Governor's powers in school syllabus

Amid growing friction between the Kerala government and Raj Bhavan, state general education minister V Sivankutty said a lesson on the constitutional powers and duties of Governors would soon be a part of the school curriculum. In Kerala, the office of Governor Rajendra Arlekar, who took charge in January and who was seen to initially enjoy cordial relations with chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan(PTI) The announcement came just a day after Sivankutty walked out of an event at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram protesting against the display of a portrait of 'Bharat Mata', associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), on the dais. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Sivankutty said that the lesson explaining the constitutional rights and duties of Governors in India would be included in the second volume of social science textbooks for class 10 students this year. The chapter will be added to textbooks for students of classes 11 and 12 as part of curriculum revision as well, he added. 'Schools are the ideal place to learn the values of democracy. School curriculum is being revised while upholding constitutional values. In the country today, efforts to destabilise elected state governments through governors are rising. The Supreme Court has recently made it clear what the constitutional rights of governors are,' the minister said. His reference was to the Supreme Court's ruling on April 8 that set a timeline for Governors to clear state bills or refer them to the President. It also set a timeline for the President to clear them. The President has sought a Presidential Reference on the judgement. The court's ruling came after the state of Tamil Nadu approached it citing the alleged obstructionist behaviour of Governor R N Ravi. Several states governed by parties opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party have seen clashes between the elected government and the Governor, whose powers are limited under the Constitution. When asked if the decision had anything to do with the ongoing row with the Raj Bhavan over the use of the 'Bharat Mata' portrait, the minister replied, 'I strongly feel students must learn and understand the duties of governors. That's why we have decided to include the chapter. It is a part of constitution. It is true that governors are interfering a lot. Students must be taught the right things.' In Kerala, the office of Governor Rajendra Arlekar, who took charge in January and who was seen to initially enjoy cordial relations with chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan -- especially when compared to the former Governor Arif Mohammed Khan -- has been locked in a tussle with the LDF government over the usage of a portrait of 'Bharat Mata' , showing a woman holding a saffron flag astride a lion at official events. The CM and ministers of the state government have argued that the portrait is associated with the RSS, the ideological fount of the BJP, and its display at official government events is inappropriate and violative of secular values. On Thursday, Sivankutty walked out in the middle of an event at the Raj Bhavan to honour scouts and guides after objecting to the display of the portrait. Later, he argued that Indian nationalism draws its strength from its diversity of languages, religions, regions, cultures etc. None of these can be contained within a narrow or unified image, he said. 'Calling the image of a woman carrying a saffron flag the sole symbol of Indian patriotism ignores this basic reality,' he added. Raj Bhavan issued a statement claiming that the minister's 'staged walkout' was a 'gross violation of protocol and a grave insult to the office of the Governor'. The Governor also said that there was 'no question of doing away with Bharat Mata as we draw our idea of patriotism and nationhood' from it. The office of the Governor said the minister's actions set a wrong precedent and that it viewed the developments with utmost concern. The row also spilled out onto the streets of Thiruvananthapuram with the SFI, student wing of CPI(M), taking a protest march to Raj Bhavan. In response, ABVP, the student wing of the RSS, displayed black flags as a convoy of the general education minister passed by.

Time of India

7 hours ago

• Time of India

Amid Bharat Mata row, state to include school lesson on guv's ‘real role'

Thiruvananthapuram: The controversy over the display of a Bharat Mata portrait allegedly used in RSS shakhas at functions in Raj Bhavan has all the signs of snowballing into a protracted showdown between the state govt and governor Rajendra V Arlekar. A day after walking out of an event at Raj Bhavan for the same, general education minister V Sivankutty on Friday said the real role and responsibilities of governors, as defined in the Constitution, would be included in the Class X social science textbook in this academic year. The decision, he said, was taken in view of the increasing attempts to weaken elected state govts using governors. "Since schools are the best places to instil democratic values, the constitutional powers of the governor will be included as a prominent section in the SSLC textbook," he said. Raj Bhavan sources, meanwhile, said the governor continued to stick to his stance that Sivankutty violated protocol by walking out of the event, which, according to Arlekar, was not strictly a state govt function. According to the governor, the distribution of Rajya Puraskar awards to Bharat Scouts and Guides was not a state govt event and the minister had no reason to object to the display of the Bharat Mata portrait. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top Doctor: If You Eat Eggs Every Day, This Is What Happens WellnessGuide Learn more Undo Arlekar had on Thursday stated that there was no question of doing away with Bharat Mata "as we draw our idea of patriotism and nationhood from her." Some Raj Bhavan officials had earlier indicated that the governor had agreed to avoid such portraits at govt functions held at Raj Bhavan. Backing Sivankutty, CPM state secretary M V Govindan said only those who had studied the Constitution could identify violation of constitutional values. He accused Arlekar of trying to convert Raj Bhavan into RSS headquarters. "All those who believe in democracy should oppose this approach by the governor. This is not something CPM alone should protest against," he said after the party's state secretariat meeting on Friday. Hinting at CPM's intent to escalate the controversy, SFI workers took out a march to Raj Bhavan on Friday, carrying banners against the governor. SFI state secretary P S Sanjeev said the governor had no right to use Raj Bhavan to advance his RSS ideology. DYFI also staged a similar protest march to Raj Bhavan on Thursday. Meanwhile, ABVP activists came out in support of the governor, waving black flags at Sivankutty. Agriculture minister P Prasad had earlier refused to attend a function at Raj Bhavan when he was told that he should pay tributes in front of the Bharat Mata portrait before the ceremony.

The Hindu

17 hours ago

• The Hindu

By speaking against English, Amit Shah is trying to impose Hindi, alleges Minister R. Bindu

Minister for Higher Education R. Bindu has said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that those who speak English in India would soon feel ashamed reflected the 'narrow politics' he represents. She alleged that Mr. Shah was trying to impose Hindi by speaking against English. Such a move would be detrimental as India remained a land where various languages were spoken, she told media persons here on Friday. She said that learning as many languages as possible would enhance one's knowledge. English was a world language today. It connected humankind across the globe. The view that one would feel ashamed of speaking English would only help in narrowing the global perspective of the students, she said. Bharat Mata row On the Bharat Mata row involving Raj Bhavan, she said that the Governor's office should not be made a place for propagating the ideals of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). She said that there was no protocol violation in the incident in which Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty walked out of an official function at Raj Bhavan in protest against the display of an image of Bharat Mata associated with the RSS. It was the Governor who violated the protocol by keeping such an image in a Constitutional office, she alleged.