Objecting to portrait of Bharat Mata with saffron flag, Kerala minister walks out of Raj Bhavan event

The event was the Kerala State Bharat Scouts and Guides Rajya Puraskar award ceremony at Raj Bhavan, for which the Governor was the chief guest. The minister, during his address, protested against the portrait of Bharat Mata at the venue and then left the function.

Later, the minister told the media, “Raj Bhavan is not the Governor’s family property. It cannot be converted into an RSS centre. When I reached the venue, I saw the Governor offering floral tributes before the portrait. This was not in the programme notice. During my address, I had registered my protest to the Governor. During an official function, a photo that symbolises a political organisation should not be placed.”

In a statement after the minister spoke to the media, the Governor’s Office said, “The minister who handles the Education portfolio has set…a wrong precedent by his misconduct. Significantly, the minister came with a prepared speech, which he chose to read out — a clear indication of his preparedness for an impending showdown. 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. 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.”

This is the second time that the CPI(M)-led Left front government in the state is locking horns with Raj Bhavan over the use of a Bharat Mata portrait at functions. On June 5, Agriculture Minister P Prasad had kept away from a function at Raj Bhavan over the presence of such a portrait at the central hall of Raj Bhavan.

The Agriculture department had planned a state-level inauguration of Environment Day celebration at Raj Bhavan with the Governor as the chief guest. When officials of the department alerted the minister about the presence of the portrait at the venue, he decided to keep away from the event.

As a result, the department conducted its own function at the Darbar Hall of the state Secretariat, while Raj Bhavan held the scheduled function without the minister.