Kerala governor stirs storm with ‘Partition Horrors Day' directive to university vice-chancellors
Rajendra Arlekar
to university vice-chancellors to organise programmes as part of observing Aug 14 as 'Partition Horrors Remembrance Day' has kicked up a political row in the state, with chief minister
Pinarayi Vijayan
and opposition leader V D Satheesan questioning his authority to give such an instruction.
Raj Bhavan had, in a circular, asked universities to organise seminars and theatre performances on campus to remember the horrors of Partition. The idea was first mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021, and since then, the Union govt has been observing the day. The Raj Bhavan circular also directed vice-chancellors to chalk out action plans for observing the day in a befitting manner.
The CM said the actions emanating from Raj Bhavan, aligned with the divisive political agendas of the Sangh Parivar, are unconstitutional.
"The governor's circular to vice-chancellors is objectionable... We cannot allow our universities to become platforms for implementing such an agenda," he said.
Meanwhile, the opposition leader said: "What authority does the governor have to instruct vice-chancellors to observe 'Partition Horrors Day', sidelining the state govt? It is unconstitutional for the governor to make decisions and act parallel to the state govt."
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By doing so, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who holds a constitutional position, has essentially declared himself a spokesperson for the divisive politics of RSS, Satheesan said.
General education minister V Sivankutty said in Kannur that the governor had acted as though operating a "parallel governance system", without the approval of the council of ministers elected by the people. "I do not understand under what authority he has issued such an invitation.
He does not have such powers. The governor's powers are limited and this is not something connected to day-to-day administration, as courts and experts in the field have already made clear," he said.
The chief minister said India's Independence Day served as a reminder of the anti-imperialist struggle and the brutalities unleashed by the British. "As we mark 78 years of independence, the idea of celebrating another day besides Aug 15 originates from the minds of Sangh Parivar...
Those who had no role in the freedom struggle and served the British Raj seek to undermine Independence Day. During the freedom struggle, those who expended energy fighting 'internal enemies' rather than foreign powers now call for a day of remembrance for the horrors of Partition, thereby diminishing the significance of Independence Day," Vijayan said.
The Sangh Parivar continues to operate with the same mindset as those who met the British Viceroy to express their support and clarify that they were not against the British Raj. Those who turned away from the united national freedom struggle of India's diverse communities are the ones now discussing the fear of Partition. The Partition of India and the ensuing violence were also results of the British policy of divide and rule, something the former British loyalists seem to have forgotten.
The Sangh Parivar mocked leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, who tried to quell the violence during the Partition, Vijayan added.
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