By P. Sreekumaran
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The standoff between Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar and the State Government over the display of the image of Bharat Mata carrying a saffron flag at functions attended by the former has taken a new turn with the State Cabinet urging him to ensure that only the national flag and national symbol are displayed during official events conducted at the Raj Bhavan.
The Cabinet’s displeasure found eloquent articulation in a letter to the Governor, which said that displaying any other flag or symbol amounted to insulting the national flag and symbol. It has urged the Governor to issue the necessary directions to Raj Bhavan officials. The Cabinet dwelt at length on the circumstances leading to the adoption of the national flag and national symbol and the Constituent Assembly debates and a resolution on what the national flag should embody.
The cabinet referred to the speeches made by Jawaharlal Nehru and Sarojini Naidu during the Constituent Assembly debates on the national flag. While Nehru had said that there were no communal or social considerations behind adoption of the tricolour as the national flag, Naidu had maintained that only the national flag should represent the country in public places or official programmes.
Incidentally, the Governor’s letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had also referred to the Constituent Assembly debates. “When the Constituent Assembly adopted Vande Mataram as the National Song on January 24, 1950, the idea of Mother India received a constitutional mandate. The concept of Bharat Mata or Bharathamba evolved much before Independence and lives in the hearts of every Indian,” the governor had told the CM, defending his stand on the issue.
Meanwhile, the Governor and the Kerala University Vice-Chancellor suffered a setback when the Kerala High Court stayed the VC’s action in suspending Registrar, K. S. Anil Kumar, for asking the police to lodge a case against the Sree Padmanaba Seva Samithi, the organisers of the event, for continuing with the event even after permission for it was denied. The Registrar was suspended for demanding that a portrait depicting a woman holding a saffron flag be removed from the function at the Raj Bhavan at the University Senate Hall. The VC obviously acted under pressure from the Sangh Parivar organisations and the Governor.
The Samithi had petitioned the VC, Dr. Mohanan Kunnummel, pointing out that the Registrar’s email on the event’s cancellation was sent at 6.39 pm on the day of the function when the Governor was already on the dais. Therefore, the action amounted to severe dereliction of duty and protocol violation, they said.
The court order followed the University Syndicate’s revocation of the suspension order. The registrar is a statutory officer appointed by the Syndicate, and the VC had no powers to suspend him.
Significantly, Left-backed Syndicate members extended their support to the Registrar, saying that it was his duty to ensure that programmes in the university are conducted as per established guidelines. They also said the university will take all steps to ensure that its secular nature is protected and that such incidents do not recur.
The Governor’s letter to the CM had expressed his concern to the Chief Minister over the “the issue spilling into the streets. Peaceful coexistence in Kerala must not be endangered by a “non-issue,” the letter said. The Governor’s reference was to the skirmishes which occurred on the Senate House campus after SFI and KSU workers took out multiple protests against the display of Bharat Mata’s image, used at RSS functions, at the venue, and the police and Sangh Parivar activists prevented them.
The Governor also took exception to General Education Minister V Sivankutty’s decision to leave a Raj Bhavan event on June 19 over the same issue . It was a violation of protocol and an act of disrespect towards the constitutional head of the state. Protocols are practised to maintain dignity and decorum at official functions,” Arlekar said.
The Governor further said that attempts by members of the State cabinet to project Raj Bhavan, a constitutional institution, in a political light were unacceptable. He said it was incorrect to claim that the concept of ‘Bharat Mata’ was developed by any political or religious organisation. ‘Bharat Mata’ is a concept born from the spirit of freedom and the hope of millions of Indians and it existed long before the formation of many present-day organisations. The pictorial representation of Bharat Mata reflects the strength, courage, and unity of Mother India, Arlekar contended.
On her part, Higher Education Minister R Bindu justified the boycott of the Raj Bhavan event by Sivan Kutty. She accused the Governor of trying to politicise universities and attempting to get wider acceptance for the ‘RSS version’ of Bharat Mata. “The governor is carrying along with him an archaic image of the RSS version of Bharat Mata wearing a silk saree and holding a saffron flag which is not accepted in independent India. It should be seen as a ploy to get wider acceptance for the RSS’s Bharat Mata concept,” she told reporters.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan also backed the state cabinet’s decision to notify the Raj Bhavan that Constitutional protocol forbids political and religious iconography at state functions. It was good that the Chief Minister protested finally. He, however, said that it was a belated response. (IPA Service)
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