Sivankutty insulted Guv by walking out of event: Raj Bhavan

Thiruvananthapuram: Tearing the already fractured relationship between Rajendra Arlekar and the state government, the Raj Bhavan said that Education Minister Sivankutty's walkout was an 'insult to the Governor and a gross violation of protocol'.

He was referring to the minister's protest against the display of Bharat Mata's portrait at the dias along with the ceremonial lamp during the Rajyapuraskar Award distribution ceremony for Bharat Scouts and Guides at Raj Bhavan, jointly organised by the state government and Governor Rajendra Arlekar's office.

"...(The) Governor is the constitutional head of the state. The minister, sworn in by the Governor and declaring allegiance to the Constitution, has openly insulted the Governor personally besides his office by this public display of misconduct. The minister did not even bother to inform the Governor about his abrupt exit. As per protocol, even anyone in the audience, let alone those sharing the dais with the Governor, is barred from leaving until and unless the Governor leaves the venue. Unfortunately, the minister who handles the education portfolio has set an unprecedentedly wrong precedent due to his misconduct," the press note issued by Raj Bhavan said.

Earlier in the day, Raj Bhavan said in a post in X that there was 'no question of removing the picture of Bharathamba (Bharat Mata)' from the official functions of the Raj Bhavan. 

Raj Bhavan also said the walkout was pre-planned as Sivankutty had prepared a full speech. "Significantly, the minister came with a prepared speech which he chose to read out - a clear indication of his preparedness for an impending showdown. It is a pity that the state's education minister admitted to the audience that the portrait of Bharatamba is not familiar to him. 

"Disturbingly, the ‘performance’ was right in front of the disciplined Scouts and Guides who had come to receive the awards from the minister and the governor. Thereby, the minister also insulted the students, apart from setting a wrong model for the students. 

Earlier in the day, Sivankutty told reporters that he objected to Bharat Mata's image placed alongside the ceremonial lamp. “Since I was scheduled to deliver the presidential address, I first congratulated the awardees. But I also made it clear that displaying the image of Bharat Mata at a government function is inappropriate,” the minister said. He then registered his protest and walked out of the event.

In a press note issued later, Sivankutty said Indian nationalism was not based on a single cultural image, 'but rather on an inclusive and democratic vision enshrined in our Constitution'. "The Governor must understand that Indian nationalism is based on the Constitution...The Governor must clarify whether the Sangh Parivar's concept of 'Bharat Mata' acknowledges India's boundaries."

Sivankutty's protest marks the second instance of a state minister walking out of a Raj Bhavan event recently. On June 5, during World Environment Day celebrations, Agriculture Minister P Prasad also objected to a similar display of the Bharat Mata portrait, calling it part of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) iconography. 

As on Thursday, the Governor had then refused to remove the image.