Bharat Mata row: CPI(M) accuses Kerala Governor of crossing Constitutional line by using RSS symbols at State events
Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has accused Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar of crossing a Constitutional line by using Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) emblems at official functions hosted by Raj Bhavan.
CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan told reporters on Friday (June 20, 2025) that General Education Minister V. Sivankutty had held the Constitutional line by walking out of a State function where Mr. Arlekar paid obeisance to the image of a 'woman holding a saffron flag', a ubiquitous heraldic device used by the RSS.
He said the picture, 'replete with majoritarian religious imagery, broadcast the RSS' schismatic aspiration to render India a Hindu nation by supplanting the Constitution with the Manusmriti', an anachronistic and ancient text subscribes to a Hindu society defined by a segregationist and repressive caste and gender-based hierarchy.
The CPI(M) welcomed the government's decision to include the Governor's role, responsibilities and Constitutional limitations as Head of State of Provincial Governments.
'Under severe social criticism for using RSS imagery at State events, Raj Bhavan initially recanted the political symbolism but relapsed to Sangh Parivar's ways soon after,' Mr. Govindan said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
23 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Campaign launched to protect Hindus, says Pravin Togadia
Praveen Togadia, president of Antarashtriya Hindu Parishad, said on Friday that Hindu Suraksha Abhiyan has been launched across the country for the protection of the Hindu community. Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Togadia said the campaign revolves around four key issues for which they are drumming up support from the community members across the country. He said there should be a law to control population so that there was no demographic shift, and the Hindus remain in majority. For this to happen, every Hindu couple should have at least three children, failing which there was a threat of Hindus being reduced to a minority, Mr. Togadia said. He said infiltrators should be identified and deported. Mr. Togadia called for freeing Hindu temples from government control, and the issue will be taken up as part of the campaign. He said nearly one lakh Hanuman Chalisa Centres will be opened to network and unite Hindus. The centres will not only provide religious education to the Hindus but will teach them self-defence, provide legal services, ration for the poor, health services, etc.
The Hindu
23 minutes ago
- The Hindu
English 'empowering' not 'shameful', must be taught to children: Rahul
English is "empowering", not "shameful", and must be taught to every child, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday (June 20, 2025) and alleged that the BJP-RSS don't want poor children to learn this language because they don't want them to ask questions and attain equality. Mr. Gandhi's comments came a day after Home Minister Amit Shah's reported remarks on English. In a post in Hindi on X, Mr. Gandhi said, "English is not a dam, it is a bridge. English is not shameful, it is empowering. English is not a chain -- it is a tool to break the chains." "The BJP-RSS don't want poor kids of India to learn English - because they don't want you to ask questions, move ahead, and attain equality," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said. In today's world, English is as important as one's mother tongue because it will provide employment and boost one's confidence, Mr. Gandhi said. "Every language of India has soul, culture, knowledge. We have to cherish them -- and at the same time teach English to every child. This is the path to an India that competes with the world, that gives every child an equal opportunity," the former Congress president said.
The Hindu
39 minutes ago
- The Hindu
By speaking against English, Amit Shah is trying to impose Hindi, alleges Minister R. Bindu
Minister for Higher Education R. Bindu has said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that those who speak English in India would soon feel ashamed reflected the 'narrow politics' he represents. She alleged that Mr. Shah was trying to impose Hindi by speaking against English. Such a move would be detrimental as India remained a land where various languages were spoken, she told media persons here on Friday. She said that learning as many languages as possible would enhance one's knowledge. English was a world language today. It connected humankind across the globe. The view that one would feel ashamed of speaking English would only help in narrowing the global perspective of the students, she said. Bharat Mata row On the Bharat Mata row involving Raj Bhavan, she said that the Governor's office should not be made a place for propagating the ideals of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). She said that there was no protocol violation in the incident in which Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty walked out of an official function at Raj Bhavan in protest against the display of an image of Bharat Mata associated with the RSS. It was the Governor who violated the protocol by keeping such an image in a Constitutional office, she alleged.
