Bharat Mata row: Kerala Raj Bhavan slams Minister Sivankutty's walkout as 'grave insult' to Governor

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala's Raj Bhavan on Thursday strongly criticised General Education Minister V Sivankutty for walking out of a public event while Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was present on the dais, calling it a "serious breach of protocol and a grave insult to the constitutional office of the Governor."
The Raj Bhavan issued the statement hours after Sivankutty walked out of a state government event at Raj Bhavan, protesting against the display of a 'Bharat Mata' image, based on a claim that it was widely used in RSS functions, during the programme.
In a strongly worded statement, Raj Bhavan said the Governor, as the constitutional head of the state, deserves the highest respect from elected representatives, especially ministers who are sworn in by the Governor with an oath of allegiance to the Constitution.
"The walkout staged by the State Minister for Education & Labour, Shri V Sivankutty, from the dais this morning while the Hon'ble Governor was present, is a gross violation of protocol and a grave insult to the office of the Governor," the statement said.
According to it, the minister exited the stage without informing the Governor.
"The Minister is sworn in by the Governor, declaring allegiance to the Constitution, has by this public display of misconduct, openly insulted the Governor personally, besides the office of the Governor. The Minister did not even bother to inform the Governor about his abrupt exit," the statement said.
The Raj Bhavan said as per protocol, even members of the audience are expected to remain seated until the Governor leaves.
"Unfortunately, the Minister who handles the Education portfolio has set an unprecedentedly wrong precedent by his misconduct," it said.
The Raj Bhavan noted that the Minister had arrived at the event with a prepared speech, suggesting that the walkout may have been pre-planned.
The statement also referred to a remark made by the Minister during his speech, where he admitted he did not recognise the portrait of Bharatamba on the stage.
"It is a pity that the Education Minister of the state admitted to the audience that the portrait of Bharatamba is not familiar to him," it said.
The incident took place in front of a gathering of Scouts and Guides who had come to receive awards from both the Minister and the Governor. Raj Bhavan said the Minister's actions had not only disrespected the Governor but also sent a poor message to the students present.
"Disturbingly, the 'performance' of the Minister was right in front of the disciplined Scouts and Guides who had come to receive the awards from the Minister and the Governor. Thereby, the Minister has insulted the students as well, apart from setting a wrong model before the students," it said.
Rajbhavan said it "views today's developments with utmost concern."

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