Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar has adopted a strong position in the ongoing controversy over the image of Bharat Mata. He has written to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleging that General Education Minister V. Sivankutty breached protocol by boycotting an event held at the Raj Bhavan.

In his letter, the Governor accused the minister of insulting the constitutional head of the state, and added that the matter had escalated into a law and order concern, prompting his formal communication.

The incident took place on June 19 at a joint programme by the Public Education Department and Raj Bhavan to confer the Bharat Scouts and Guides National Awards. Sivankutty, who was expected to preside, walked out of the function.

He later told reporters that the event schedule did not include lamp-lighting or floral tributes in front of the Bharat Mata image, which depicted her holding a saffron flag. “I congratulated the awardees and left in protest against the Governor’s inappropriate conduct,” he said.

The controversy had first erupted on June 5 during World Environment Day celebrations, when Agriculture Minister P. Prasad walked out of a Raj Bhavan event. He objected to the Governor allegedly requiring floral tributes to the Bharat Mata image with the saffron flag—an image linked to the RSS.

Governor Arlekar later stated that the image symbolises the nation and “cannot be altered”.

Student protests at University of Kerala event

On Wednesday, the issue intensified further when student organisations SFI and KSU staged protests against the display of the same Bharat Mata image at a private event held in the University of Kerala's Senate Hall. The event was attended by the Governor.

Ahead of his arrival, the university registrar called for the image to be removed. Protests escalated, and several student activists were taken into custody.

Despite the protest, the Governor went ahead with the event. Police escorted him out through an alternate gate following the programme to avoid further confrontation, while SFI continued its agitation outside the venue.

State government's clarification on Bharat Mata image

The state government has previously clarified that it does not oppose Bharat Mata as a national symbol. However, it criticised the use of the saffron-flag-bearing version in official events, stating that only the national flag represents secular and democratic values.