Bharat Mata portrait row: CPI hoists national flag, plants saplings
Thrissur , CPI, the second-largest partner in the ruling LDF in Kerala, on Saturday hoisted the national flag and planted saplings as a mark of protest against the usage of the Bharat Mata portrait at an Environment Day event in the Raj Bhavan.
State Agriculture Minister and CPI leader P Prasad had boycotted the event at the Raj Bhavan on June 5 over the use of the portrait, citing that it was the one used by the RSS.
The Left party had announced that it would hoist the national flag, which is the symbol of Bharat Mata, at all its branches on Saturday and would plant saplings as a mark of protest against the Raj Bhavan's action.
CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam hoisted the flag and planted the sapling at the party district office in Thrissur on Saturday morning.
State Revenue Minister P Rajan and senior leader and former minister V S Sunil Kumar were among those who were present during the protest event.
After the event, Viswam sought to know whether the Constitution of the country or the policies of the RSS were important for Governor Vishwanath Rajendra Arlekar.
"This flag is the Bharat Mata. There is no Bharat Mata other than this," he said, hoisting the national flag.
Apparently criticising the Governor, he said any attempt to impose another concept of Bharat Mata is "unconstitutional" and "anti-national".
CPI leaders and workers gathered and raised "Bharat Mata ki jai" slogan also.
Meanwhile, CPI state secretary M V Govindan rejected reporters' question about whether the ruling party was not keen to criticise the Governor in the matter like its front partner CPI.
"Raj Bhavan should not be used as a venue to propagate communal ideologies. No symbol that propagates communal ideologies should be displayed at a public place like Raj Bhavan. That is our stand," he said.
He also said he himself appreciated Agriculture Minister Prasad when he had boycotted the Raj Bhavan event over the portrait issue.
The Left government in Kerala on Friday made it clear that it was not in agreement with the use of the Bharat Mata portrait at the Environment Day event at the Raj Bhavan here, as the picture was not authorised as the official version by the Constitution or the Indian government.
Minister Prasad, who had boycotted the event, said on Friday that those in constitutional offices cannot convert government programmes into political events.
A similar view was also expressed by state General Education Minister V Sivankutty, who said that the Raj Bhavan and the Governor were above politics and said that Arlekar should withdraw from the stand taken by him.
As the incident triggered a row, the Governor had issued a statement saying that "Whatever be the pressure, from whichever quarters, there will be no compromise whatsoever on Bharat Mata."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
12k of SAIL's 16k tonnes of steel for tallest rail bridge supplied by Bhilai plant
Raipur: The Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has played a pivotal role in the construction of the world's tallest railway bridge over the Chenab River in Jammu & Kashmir, supplying a total of 16,000 tonnes of steel — with its Bhilai Steel Plant alone contributing 12,000 tonnes to the project. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A senior official from the Bhilai plant confirmed the figure on Friday, hailing it as a proud moment for the Indian steel industry and a major milestone in nation-building. The Chenab Railway Bridge, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6, 2025, is now the highest railway arch bridge on the planet, rising 359 metres above the riverbed — even taller than the Eiffel Tower. The bridge is part of the strategically crucial Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project and aims to bring seamless all-weather connectivity to Kashmir, significantly improving both civilian and military mobility. SAIL's contribution to the bridge included a wide range of steel products such as TMT bars, heavy plates, structural steel, and hot strip mill products. From the total volume supplied, the Bhilai Steel Plant alone provided 5,922 tonnes of TMT bars, 6,454 tonnes of steel plates, and 56 tonnes of structural steel. The remaining steel was delivered by SAIL's IISCO, Durgapur, Rourkela, and Bokaro plants. Officials said that the construction of this 1.3 kilometre long bridge involved the use of approximately 29,000 metric tonnes of fabricated steel, over 10 lakh cubic metres of earthwork, 66,000 cubic metres of concrete, and a vast network of 84 kilometres of cable anchors and rock bolts. Engineered to endure wind speeds of up to 266 kmph and strong earthquakes, the bridge is being seen not just as an engineering feat, but a strategic lifeline to India's northern frontier. SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant, known for producing high-grade TMT bars with earthquake- and corrosion-resistant properties, has been a consistent contributor to key national infrastructure. Its steel has previously been used in iconic structures like the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Atal Setu, Sela and Atal Tunnels, and even in defence applications including warships like INS Vikrant. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to the Bhilai plant official, the bridge is yet another example of how SAIL's quality steel is powering India's most ambitious projects. "From high-altitude tunnels to bullet trains and now the world's tallest railway bridge, SAIL steel — especially from Bhilai — is proving essential to India's infrastructure push," the official said.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Ex-min Netam switches stand on delisting of tribals, questions Cong
Raipur: Former Union minister and senior tribal leader Arvind Netam after attending a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ) event in Nagpur, said that the visit offered him a new perspective on the Sangh's inner workings. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Speaking to the mediapersons on Saturday in Raipur, Netam said he discussed measures to reduce the ideological distance with tribal people. Netam also thanked RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for inviting him. Netam announced a change in his position on the issue of delisting, which refers to the removal of individuals from the Scheduled Tribe list if they convert to another religion. He said that although he once opposed delisting, he "now supports it as a way to check forced or induced religious conversions among tribal people". Responding to the criticism from Congress MP Deepak Baij, who questioned Netam's growing proximity to the RSS, Netam hit back by asking whether Baij himself had "converted to Christianity". Netam further challenged the Congress party to clearly state its position on religious conversions. He brought up the protection of tribal land, forests, and water resources as another major concern. He argued that land acquisition for industrial use must not result in the permanent loss of tribal-land ownership. Instead, he suggested that such land be provided on lease, allowing tribal families to retain their rights and connection to their land.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Five more Maoists killed in op in which top guns Sudhakar & Bhaskar were eliminated
Raipur: Seven Maoists – including central committee member Sudhakar and another top commander, Bhaskar – have been killed in an operation that is on in Indravati National Park area of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, Bastar police said on Saturday. Sudhakar, the ideological chief of Maoists, was gunned down on Thursday and Bhaskar, a Telangana State Committee Member, on Friday. Skirmishes continued all night and on Saturday, the bodies of five more cadres were found. Two of them are women. Police are trying to identify them. Other high-level Maoist operatives, including Telangana State Committee's press in-charge Bandi Prakash, have been spotted in the encounter zone. With this operation, sources say, security forces have foiled a crucial Maoist attempt to coordinate their activities in the region following the encounter killing of CPI(Maoist) general secretary Basavaraju. Security forces have been battling not only insurgents' bullets and treacherous hilly terrain, but also snakes and other threats in the wild as the operation continues deep inside the jungles. Bastar range IG P Sundarraj announced the elimination of 7 Maoists and said that a large cache of arms and ammunition, including two AK-47 rifles, has been seized from the encounter zones. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo "Search operations and area domination exercises continue in the dense forest terrain to flush out any remaining insurgents and ensure complete control of the region," Sundarraj said. "A few personnel sustained snake bites and bee stings and suffered severe dehydration but the forces kept up the momentum. All injured personnel are currently in stable condition and receiving medical care," Sundarraj said. High-intensity encounters were spread across three consecutive days — June 5-7. The encounter in which Bashar was killed was the most fierce, said police sources. On Thursday, Sundarraj had said that the operation was launched after precise inputs on the location of some top Maoist commanders. District Reserve Guards, Special Task Force and CRPF's CoBRA commandos moved out to intercept the group on Wednesday night. They went on foot to maintain stealth and took the Maoists completely by surprise the next morning. As the insurgents scattered, the forces also spread out and running gunbattles broke out across a large swathe of the jungle. The operation, still underway, is one of the most significant missions in the red corridor in recent years, said an officer, adding that they are hopeful of more success. Sudhakar, a native of Andhra Pradesh, was in charge of the Maoists' Revolutionary Political School and was in the insurgent outfit for nearly four decades. He was the third central committee member to be killed in Bastar this year after Jai Ram alias Chalpathy on Jan 21 and Basavaraju on May 21.
