Kerala Governor fuelled Bharat Mata row, he must defuse it: Binoy Viswam

The Kerala society “will not accept” Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who studied in a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-run school and became an ideological propagator of the organisation, Communist Party of India (CPI) State secretary Binoy Viswam has said.

Speaking to mediapersons in Alappuzha on Monday, Mr. Viswam said that it was the Governor himself who had ignited the Bharat Mata controversy, and it was his responsibility to defuse it.

“India does not recognise Bharat Mata as a woman draped in saffron, holding a flag and riding a lion. Only those who attend RSS shakhas are familiar with that image. The RSS does not have the authority to impose its version of Bharat Mata. Attempts are being made to display that image not only inside Raj Bhavan but also in universities. Kerala will not accept it,” he said.

The CPI leader said the Governor seemed to have forgotten that universities should not be held hostage to any political ideology. “Bharat Mata is, in fact, the countless men and women who make up India,” Mr. Viswam said.

Stating that the Tricolour national flag is “the true symbol of India”, he said that neither the BJP, the RSS, nor the Governor had the right to “monopolise the slogan Bharat Mata Ki Jai.”

Mr. Viswam also warned that filling wetlands and paddy fields at Aranmula would lead to disaster. “The Left Democratic Front will never implement any project in Kerala that undermines nature and the environment,” he said.