Bharat Mata row: Kerala govt says Guv’s action violated constitutional propriety

The Kerala government has formally conveyed its displeasure to Governor Rajendra Arlekar over the controversial use of an image of Bharat Mata (Bharatamba/Mother India), with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan issuing a communique following a Cabinet resolution that found the Governor’s recent actions to be in violation of constitutional propriety.

According to sources, the government stated that the use, display, or exhibition of political and religious iconography is not permitted at any event attended by the Governor in his capacity as the de jure head of State.

The communique comes in the wake of the Raj Bhavan’s instruction that an image of Bharat Mata be used and venerated at official functions in which the Governor is participating. However, what sparked the controversy is that the image featured certain iconography, such as the saffron flag, commonly associated with the Sangh Parivar. Critics argued that it violated the secular norms expected of state functions and constitutional offices.

Also read: Kerala: Bharat Mata image sparks ideological clash, worsens governor-govt feud

Latest flashpoint

The latest of the events was a dramatic showdown at Kerala University on Tuesday (June 24) evening, where student protests erupted over a programme commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Emergency.

The event, hosted at the university’s Senate Hall by the Sree Padmanabha Seva Samithi, featured a prominently displayed Bharat Mata portrait with overt Sangh Parivar symbolism. Despite objections from university authorities and student groups, the Governor attended the function; he entered through a side gate amid heavy police security, and ceremonially lit a lamp placed before the contested image.

He later invoked the Emergency and framed the backlash as ideological intolerance. “Today, we are asked to apologise for putting up a picture of Bharat Mata. What kind of freedom is this? Are we truly living in a democracy?” he posed the rhetorical question, referencing the student protests without naming them directly.

Also read: Why Kerala Minister walked out of Raj Bhavan event

Saffronisation of Kerala’s institutions

The episode marked a flashpoint in the ongoing ideological standoff between Kerala’s Left government and the BJP-appointed governor, which has simmered since Arlekar took charge. Tuesday’s protests were led by the SFI, DYFI, and KSU, all of whom decried the use of “sectarian visuals” in a secular academic space.

Their slogans — “Raj Bhavan is not an RSS shakha” and “Religious symbols have no place in secular campuses” — encapsulated the wider anxieties over perceived attempts to saffronise Kerala’s institutions.

In this broader political context, the Cabinet on Wednesday (June 25) concluded that the Governor had overstepped constitutional limits.

“Raj Bhavan is not a platform for the Governor to implement the politics of the Sangh Parivar. The image of Bharatamba that he is promoting does not align with the values of a democratic system. The government has already made its position clear on this matter. The tactics of introducing RSS imagery into public consciousness and gradually legitimising it will find no acceptance on Kerala soil,” higher education minister Dr R Bindu wrote on her social media handles.

Also read: Kerala: Raj Bhavan slams minister's walkout as 'grave insult' to Governor

Saffron propaganda

The image in question—of Bharat Mata holding a saffron flag, often used by the Sangh Parivar in North India—has been at the centre of escalating tensions.

“They began by injecting saffron symbolism into devotional spaces, eventually transforming them into platforms of cultural nationalism. A similar strategy is being tested in Kerala now — beginning with Raj Bhavan, and extending into university campuses,” observed TJ Sreelal, senior journalist and political commentator.

“This Bharat Mata is portrayed as the ‘property’ of the Sangh Parivar alone. They use it for their propaganda. Who doesn’t know that using such imagery in official events would invite protest? That, precisely, is the strategy crafted by Arlekar and Sangh Parivar leadership,” he added.

Congress view

While the ruling Left and student bodies are vocally opposing this turn, the opposition Congress has taken a more sceptical view. Senior Congress leaders have accused both the governor and the state government of engaging in “theatrical posturing.”

“No public event is constitutionally mandated to be held at Raj Bhavan. If the government believes there’s an overreach, it should simply disengage from the Raj Bhavan’s programming rather than keep up this drama,” said KPCC president Sunny Joseph.

Also read: No official version of Bharat Mata portrait, so cannot be allowed in govt events: Kerala govt

Defiant governor

Governor Arlekar, meanwhile, has remained defiant. He has repeatedly argued that Bharat Mata is not a religious figure but a unifying national symbol. However, critics say that the specific representation — complete with saffron iconography — mirrors Hindutva imagery and serves to erode the secular character of public institutions.

With similar events reportedly being planned across the state, and student organisations vowing to resist what they term the “saffronisation of campuses”, the conflict is likely to deepen in the days to come. The chief minister’s communique may set the tone for legal and political confrontation, but the symbolic battle over whose iconography belongs in Kerala’s public life is far from over.