Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI held a symbolic protest on Saturday against the use of a Bharat Mata portrait at an Environment Day event in the Raj Bhavan. Party workers hoisted the national flag and planted saplings at various locations across the state, asserting that the flag represents Bharat Mata.

The protest was in response to CPI leader and Agriculture Minister P Prasad’s boycott of the June 5 Raj Bhavan event, objecting to the use of a Bharat Mata portrait that he said resembled one commonly associated with the RSS. CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam, who led the protest in Thrissur, said, “This flag is Bharat Mata. There is no Bharat Mata other than this,” and questioned whether the Governor prioritised the Constitution or RSS ideology.

State ministers P Rajan and V S Sunil Kumar were also present at the Thrissur protest, where slogans of "Bharat Mata ki jai" were raised. CPM state secretary M V Govindan distanced himself from directly criticising the Governor but maintained that communal symbols have no place in a constitutional venue like the Raj Bhavan. He also voiced support for Minister Prasad’s decision to boycott the event.

The  state government clarified on Friday that the portrait in question was not an officially recognised representation of Bharat Mata by either the Constitution or the Government of India. Minister Prasad said constitutional authorities must refrain from politicising government events, a sentiment echoed by General Education Minister V Sivankutty.

Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, amid growing criticism, issued a statement asserting that there would be "no compromise whatsoever on Bharat Mata, regardless of pressure from any quarter."