Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. File Photo: Manorama.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar on Thursday said that the photo of Bharata Mata cannot be removed as it symbolises the nation.
Earlier in the day, state Agriculture minister P Prasad had objected to displaying a photo of Bharata Mata, which he claimed is associated with the RSS, at the World Environment day celebrations at Raj Bhavan. The event was shifted to the Durbar Hall.
Speaking at a function, the Governor said that there are greater issues than a photo of the Bharat Mata. “We cannot remove Bharat Mata, our motherland. These are the idols we are living for,” he added.
Regarding the absence of the Agriculture minister, Arlekar said, “I don’t know what sort of thinking we have in our minds.”
Speaking to reporters, Prasad said that the Governor refused to remove the photo. He said that displaying symbols associated with religious and political groups in government programmes is “unconstitutional”.
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