Category: NATION

Siwan (Bihar):  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday slammed the RJD for allegedly insulting Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar and asserted that the people of Bihar would not tolerate any disrespect to the Dalit icon.

At a rally in Siwan district, which marked his fifth visit this year to the state and second in less than a month, Modi hailed the “big role” played by Bihar in India’s emergence as the “third largest economy” of the world.

In a nearly 45-minute-long speech that followed the launch of projects worth more than Rs 5,900 crore and the flagging off of a Vande Bharat train, the Prime Minister cautioned the people against “attempts to recapture economic resources of Bihar” by the RJD-led opposition in the assembly polls due later this year.

“Ambedkar was against dynasty rule. But they (RJD and its allies) do not like it. So they have his portrait placed at their feet. On my way, I saw posters demanding an apology for this insult to Babasaheb,” said Modi.

He added, “But there has been no apology. This is because they hold Dalits in contempt. In contrast, Modi has Babasaheb in his heart and would like to keep his portrait close to his chest”.

Modi, who did not mention RJD chief Lalu Prasad by name, referred to the instance of a portrait of Ambedkar being placed close to the feet of the ailing septuagenarian, for which he (Prasad) has been drawing flak from the BJP-led NDA.

“The reason is that the RJD-Congress people have little respect for people belonging to the deprived castes, the Dalits, the OBCs and the EBCs. They consider themselves above Babasaheb Ambedkar. But they must remember that the disrespect to Babasaheb Ambedkar will not be forgiven by the people of Bihar,” the PM said.

Modi also asserted that the world was greatly impressed with India’s progress and underscored Bihar’s big role in the country’s emergence as the world’s “third largest economy”.

“You all know I have returned from abroad only yesterday. During my tour, I met many leaders of the developed world. They all were greatly impressed with the rate of progress in India. They are watching India becoming the third-largest economy in the world. In this, Bihar will definitely play a big role,” said the PM.

In the last 11 years, the NDA government at the Centre has devoted itself to removing every hurdle that stands in the way of the poor, he said.

“We will continue to make such efforts. The hard work has yielded handsome results,” the PM said.

In the past decade, a record number of 25 crore Indians have defeated poverty, and this feat of India is being lauded by renowned institutions like the World Bank, he said.

“In this national accomplishment, Bihar and the government headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar have played a significant role,” said Modi.

The PM also said a “prosperous” Bihar will help the country prosper.

Training his guns at the opposition INDIA bloc, he said, “Beware, those responsible for jungle raj are looking for another opportunity to wreak havoc like they had once done.”

They are playing various tricks to ensure that they recapture the state’s economic resources, claimed Modi, in an apparent reference to several populist promises made by the RJD and its ally Congress in the run-up to the assembly polls.

“Unlike the NDA, which worked for development of all with support of all (‘sabka saath sabka vikas’), the opposition stood for family rule (‘parivar ka saath, parivar ka vikas’), which was against the spirit of the Constitution, given to us by Babasaheb Ambedkar”, Modi claimed.

“This is the reason why the Congress-RJD people have portraits of Babasaheb Ambedkar placed at their feet. In contrast, Modi keeps Babasaheb Ambedkar in his heart,” remarked the Prime Minister.

Modi, who reached the venue perched atop an open vehicle, flanked on either side by Nitish Kumar, who heads the JD(U), and Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, both from the BJP.

The chief minister, whose speech preceded that of the PM, showered praises on Modi for ordering a caste census, which the JD(U) boss had been demanding for long, and called upon the audience to rise in their seats as a mark of gratitude.

In keeping with his penchant for adding local flavour to his speeches, Modi began his address by greeting the people in the local dialect of Bhojpuri and paying tributes to the first President Rajendra Prasad, who hailed from Siwan, and legendary socialist leader Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, who belonged to the adjoining district of Saran.

The function saw the launch of projects worth more than Rs 5,900 crore by the PM, who also flagged off a Vande Bharat train that would run between Pataliputra Junction in the state capital and Gorakhpur in adjoining Uttar Pradesh.

These development projects will take Bihar towards a bright future and make the state prosperous, said the PM.

Declined Trump’s invite to US for coming to land of Lord Jagannath: PM Modi in Odisha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he had declined an invitation from US President Donald Trump to visit Washington, and instead chose to come to Odisha, the sacred land of Lord Jagannath.

Addressing a rally in Bhubaneswar, Modi said, “I was in Canada for the G7 Summit when US President Trump had called me and invited me to Washington for a discussion and lunch. I thanked him for the invitation, saying I have to visit Odisha, the land of Lord Jagannath. I humbly rejected his invitation.”

Modi had on Tuesday declined Trump’s invitation to visit the US while returning from Canada, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a statement on the Modi-Trump phone call.

According to Misri’s statement, Modi said he could not accept the invitation due to a pre-existing schedule, and invited Trump to visit India for the Quad Summit, likely later this year.

The two leaders were scheduled to meet in Canada on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.

However, the US President left the meeting midway amidst rising hostilities between Israel and Iran.

Modi participated in the first anniversary function of the BJP’s maiden government in Odisha during the day and launched development projects worth over Rs 18,600 crore.

 

 

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday slammed Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal for his remarks against the India-ASEAN trade agreements, saying labelling these countries as “B team of China” is “irresponsible and insulting”.

Speaking at the India Global Forum (IGF) session on UK-India Science, Technology and Innovation Collaboration at the Science Museum in London, Goyal said, “There was a point of time 15 years ago when we were more focused on doing FTAs with countries who were our competitors. So if I am doing an ASEAN agreement, it really is silly because (that is) opening up my market to my competitors, many of whom have now become the B team of China.”

“So effectively and indirectly, I have opened up my market for goods that find their way from China into India,” the commerce minister said.

In a statement, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said Goyal’s statement “belittling India ASEAN Trade Agreements is unwarranted, ill advised and unfortunate”.

India and ASEAN group of countries are for over three decades engaged in a multi-faceted relationship which is mutually rewarding and important, he noted.

“This is an integral part of the Look East policy to deepen and diversify India’s relations with a region that is economically vibrant and of enormous geo-strategic importance for engagement with the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.

Sharma, a former commerce minister, said successive Indian governments have consciously pursued this policy and elevated India-ASEAN relations to a strategic partnership.

He said India is also a member of the East Asia Summit (EAS) of ASEAN + six (Japan, India, South Korea, China, Australia and New Zealand) while Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia are strategic partner countries.

“Piyush Goyal’s statement terming the Trade agreement with ASEAN as silly and labelling these countries as B team of China is irresponsible and insulting. He has forgotten that President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto was the chief guest for 2025 Republic Day Parade,” Sharma said.

The Congress leader said the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with ASEAN and trade agreements with Japan and South Korea are aimed at promoting investments and trade in goods and services.

“The agreements were diligently negotiated considering India’s interests with this vibrant region. There are inbuilt checks and review mechanisms inbuilt in all trade agreements that India has signed.

“Trade in goods with ASEAN countries also includes essential imports: Iron ore and coal from Indonesia, palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia, oil – petroleum products from Brunei Dares Salam and Malaysia and pulses from Myanmar.

“Piyush Goyal needs to be reminded of the fundamental rule of trade: ‘No country can export what it does not produce nor imports what it does not need’,” the Congress leader said.

Sharma said ASEAN is India’s fourth largest trading partner, accounting for over 11 per cent of India’s total global trade with bilateral trade at 120 billion USD and accounts for over 11 per cent of India’s exports. FDI inflows from ASEAN to India account for over 18 per cent of total FDI inflows since 2000, he noted.

“In an interconnected and interdependent world partnerships are the way forward and not exclusion and isolation. The commerce minister should be prioritising strengthening trade relations with partner countries and not insulting them while bending backwards to negotiate a suboptimal trade agreement with USA on its terms,” Sharma said.

Goyal, who is currently in the UK for talks ahead of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement signing, has said India is in trade dialogues with countries with whom it does not compete but can complement the economies involved.

 

 

 

New Delhi: Supreme Court bar bodies SCBA and the SCAORA have condemned the ED notices to senior advocates Arvind Datar and Pratap Venugopal for their legal advice to clients, saying the “disturbing trend” hit the very foundation of legal profession.

The anti-money laundering agency, however, withdrew its summons issued to the senior counsel.

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) headed by senior advocate Vikas Singh and the Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association (SCAORA) presided by advocate Vipin Nair took exception to the summons in their official communication.

“The issuance of such illegal notices and summons to the senior advocates and to the advocate-on-record reflect a disturbing trend, striking at the very foundations of the legal profession and undermining the independence of the Bar which is a core pillar of India’s Constitutional democrac?,” the SCBA’s statement issued through its secretary Pragya Baghel said.

The SCBA continued, “Independent judiciary and independent bar are the backbone of the democracy and if advocates or senior advocates are targeted in such manner then it is hitting the independence of the legal profession in its root.”

Nair wrote to Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on the “deeply disquieting development” having “serious ramifications for the independence of the legal profession and the foundational principle of lawyer-client confidentiality”.

He wrote the letter following ED summons to Venugopal.

“It has come to our notice that senior advocate Pratap Venugopal, has received on June 19, summons dated June 18, by ED under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in its investigation into the Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) granted by M/s Care Health Insurance Ltd for a purported legal opinion rendered by senior advocate Arvind Datar, wherein Pratap Venugopal, was the advocate-on-record, supporting the grant of stock options to former Religare enterprises chairperson Rashmi Saluja,” he said.

Section 50 of the PMLA deals with “powers of authorities regarding summons, production of documents and to give evidence, etc.”

Venugopal, the letter said, was directed to appear before the ED on June 24.

“It would be imperative to mention that a similar notice was earlier issued by the ED to senior advocate Arvind Data, albeit withdrawn subsequently,” Nair added.

Venugopal was said to be a widely respected member of the legal fraternity with an “impeccable” sincerity and professional commitment.

“These actions, by the ED, we believe, amount to an impermissible transgression of the sacrosanct lawyer-client privilege, and pose a serious threat to the autonomy and fearless functioning of advocates. Such unwarranted and coercive measures against senior members of the bar for discharge of professional duties set a dangerous precedent, potentially resulting in a chilling effect across the legal community,” the letter underscored.

The SCAORA said a lawyer’s role to offer legal advice was privileged and protected, and the interference of investigative agencies into this relationship without just cause and contrary to established legal norms, struck at the heart of the rule of law.

Such interventions could dissuade advocates from rendering honest, independent opinions in the discharge of their duties, the bar body said.

The SCAORA letter, as a result, urged the CJI to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and examine the issue of “the legality and propriety of such summons issued to legal professionals for opinions rendered in good faith”.

The other issues the CJI could examine were about safeguarding “the constitutional and professional protections afforded to advocates” and laying down “appropriate guidelines to prevent any further erosion of lawyer-client privilege and uphold the independence of the bar”, the letter added.

In a similar action previously, the ED summoned Datar in the same case.

On Friday, the SCBA expressed its concerns in a statement, which read, “Every person has a right for a legal representation and thus, advocates cannot be targeted for rendering his assistance and giving legal opinion.”

Even otherwise, advocates cannot be summoned for rendering professional advice in view of Section 132 of Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) of 2023 which deals with professional privilege, it added.

“Advocates are officers of the court, and their role is integral to the fair and impartial administration of justice. The manner in which the Enforcement Directorate has sought to summon respected members of our Bar reflects an illegal, perverse and intimidatory use of state power,” the SCBA said.

New Delhi: The BJP on Friday accused the Congress government in Karnataka of violating the Constitution by allocating religion-based reservation in its housing scheme, charging the party with breaking social fabric for vote bank politics to “appease” Muslims.

The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday decided to increase the reservation for minorities under various housing schemes from 10 to 15 per cent, a move the BJP alleged is aimed at benefiting Muslims.

Slamming the decision, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “Since this is a welfare scheme, why has religion-based reservation been added to it? The Congress speaks of the Constitution but is breaking social fabric for vote bank politics. This politics, built on appeasement, will ultimately collapse.”

He claimed that the Congress is inviting a long-term disaster for short-term political gains.

“Shortcuts don’t last long. Those at 99 today may drop to nine next time,” Patra said in a reference to the Congress’ tally in the Lok Sabha.

The Karnataka government’s decision to keep the caste survey under wraps after spending Rs 165 crore and order a new enumeration was also driven by its appeasement politics, he alleged.

The survey did injustice to the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, he claimed.

“In the 2015 census, the Muslim population in Karnataka was around 12.6 per cent but leaked reports on the recent census said it has risen to approximately 18.08 per cent. How can there be such a huge jump in the numbers,” Patra asked.

The Supreme Court, the BJP leader said, has already made it clear that reservation based on religion is unconstitutional. Yet, Congress leaders, who carry copies of the Constitution in their pockets, are seen blatantly violating it themselves, he alleged.

He also claimed that Rahul Gandhi once said that the Congress is a party of Muslims.

The Congress has never been ashamed of this, as its focus has never been on welfare schemes or good governance but on vote-bank politics, Patra alleged.

In Karnataka, be it the housing scheme, reservation in tenders, or including Muslims in the ‘2B’ category for reservation, the rights of SC, ST, and OBC communities are being taken away, Patra alleged.

The Karnataka government has said this enhanced quota will benefit all the minorities, including Muslims, Christians, and Jains.

The move follows a recent government initiative to introduce 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in public contracts, which came under criticism from the BJP as well.

 

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday reiterated its demand of making the Bihar reservations law a part of the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, amending the Constitution to overcome the 50 per cent ceiling for reservations and implementing Article 15(5) which enables reservations for SCs, STs, OBCs, and EBCs in private educational institutions.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said most definitely the party will take up these three issues of fundamental importance to social justice and empowerment in the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament.

“The PM is in Bihar today. On the basis of the caste survey conducted by the erstwhile INDIA bloc Government in Bihar, the Bihar Government had proposed 65% reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs. This is under challenge in the Courts,” Ramesh said on X.

The double engine government in Bihar has all but given up, he said.

But there are three ways out that the Congress has been demanding for long, that will make the 65 per cent reservations a reality, he said.

Ramesh called for making the Bihar reservations law a part of the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.

This was done by the Narasimha Rao government in 1994 for protecting 69 per cent reservations in Tamil Nadu, he said.

He also called for amending the Constitution to overcome the 50 per cent ceiling for reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs.

This ceiling has only been imposed because of various Supreme Court judgments over the past six decades, Ramesh said.

“Article 15(5) enables reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, and EBCs in private educational institutions also. This has been unimplemented in the past 11 years after the Supreme Court had upheld the Constitutional amendment that was introduced by Dr. Mannohan Singh’s government in 2006,” he said.

Most definitely the Congress will take up these three issues of fundamental importance to social justice and empowerment in the Monsoon session of Parliament that begins on July 21, 2025, Ramesh said.

His remarks came ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s three-state visit for two days from Friday, a tour that will include the launch of multiple development projects in Bihar and Odisha and his participating in a mass yoga programme on the International Day of Yoga.

Modi will be in Siwan in Bihar and Bhubaneswar in Odisha on Friday and will also address public meetings, an official statement said.

In Siwan, he will inaugurate the new Vaishali-Deoria railway line project worth more than Rs 400 crore and flag off a new train service on the route.

 

 

 

New Delhi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday slammed the Supreme Court for its verdict delivered during the Emergency, dubbing it as the “darkest” in the judicial history of the world.

According to an official statement, he said the judgment of the Supreme Court overruling that of nine high courts legitimised dictatorship and authoritarianism.

Dhankhar also questioned the then president Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed for signing the proclamation of Emergency on the “instance” of then prime minister Indira Gandhi and not the entire council of ministers.

Addressing a group of Rajya Sabha interns here, the vice president said, “A president cannot act on the advice of an individual, the prime minister. The Constitution is very categorical.

“There is a council of ministers headed by the PM to aid and advise the president. This was one violation, but what was the result? More than 1,00,000 citizens of this country were put behind bars in hours,” he said.

Referring to the role of the judiciary during the Emergency, Dhankhar said, “That was a time when the fundamental essence of democracy capsized in times of distress. People look up to the judiciary.

“Nine high courts in the country have gloriously defined that emergency or no emergency, people have fundamental rights and there is access to the justice system. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court overturned all nine high courts and gave a judgment which will be the darkest in the history of any judicial institution in the world that believes in the rule of law,” he further said.

Dhankhar pointed out that the decision was that “it is the will of the executive to have Emergency for as much time as it thinks fit”.

The top court also ruled that during an Emergency, there are no fundamental rights.

“So the judgment of the Supreme Court legitimised dictatorship, authoritarianism and despotism in this land,” he said.

The vice president said the present government has “wisely” decided to observe June 25 every year as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’.

Emergency remained in force between June 25, 1975 and March 21, 1977.

 

New Delhi: India has decided to evacuate its nationals from Israel who wish to leave in view of the unfolding security situation in that country over the ongoing conflict with Iran.

New Delhi’s decision to evacuate its citizens came hours after an Iranian missile struck a hospital in Beersheba area of Israel.

“In view of the recent developments between Israel and Iran, the government of India has decided to evacuate from Israel those Indian nationals who wish to leave,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

“Their travel from Israel to India will be facilitated through the land borders and thereafter by air to India,” it said.

India on Wednesday announced launching “Operation Sindhu” to evacuate its nationals from Iran after the Persian Gulf nation’s conflict with Israel showed no sign of letting up.

“The government of India accords the highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad,” the MEA said.

It said the government will continue to monitor the situation closely.

The Indian embassy in Tel Aviv reiterated its earlier advisories urging all Indian citizens in Israel to remain vigilant and strictly follow the safety guidelines issued by Israeli authorities.

“The embassy (in Israel) remains continuously in touch with the community with a view to extending all feasible assistance,” it said.

The MEA said the Indian embassy in Tel Aviv would be making arrangements for the evacuation of the Indians. “All Indian nationals are requested to register themselves with the Embassy of India in Tel Aviv at(https://www.indembassyisrael.gov.in/indian_national_reg), if not already registered,” it said.

“In case of any queries, they may contact the 24/7 Control Room established at Embassy of India, Tel Aviv: telephone numbers: +972 54-7520711; +972 54-3278392; email: [email protected],” it said.

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday attacked the government after US President Donald Trump hosted Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir for lunch, saying it is a “huge blow” to Indian diplomacy.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said Field Marshal Asim Munir is not the Head of State or Head of government of Pakistan and is the Chief of Army Staff, yet he gets invited by Trump for lunch and receives much praise.

“This is the same man whose atrocious and inflammatory remarks formed the immediate backdrop to the brutal Pahalgam terror attacks orchestrated by the establishment over which he presides,” Ramesh said on X.

“It is a huge blow to Indian diplomacy (and huglomacy too),” he said, taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Congress has been taking swipes at Modi, giving “hugs” to foreign heads of state during his meetings with them at international or bilateral engagements, using the term “huglomacy” for it.

Meanwhile, Trump has said the two very smart leaders of India and Pakistan decided not to continue a war that could have turned nuclear, a first in weeks, he did not claim credit for stopping hostilities between the two neighbouring nations.

Trump made the remarks while speaking to the media in the Oval Office after hosting Munir for lunch at the White House on Wednesday.

Trump also said he was honoured to meet Munir.

When asked if Iran was discussed in his meeting with Munir, Trump said: Well, they know Iran very well, better than most, and they’re not happy about anything. It’s not that they’re bad with Israel. They know them both, actually, but they probably, maybe they know Iran better, but they see what’s going on, and he agreed with me.

“The reason I had him here, I want to thank him for not going into the war, ending the war. And I want to thank, as you know, Prime Minister Modi just left a little while ago, and we’re working on a trade deal with India. We’re working on a trade deal with Pakistan,” the president said.

“They were both here, but I was with Modi a few weeks ago. He was here actually, but now we speak to him. And I’m so happy that two smart people, plus you know, people on their staff too, but two smart people, two very smart people decided not to keep going with that war. That could have been a nuclear war. Those are two nuclear powers, big ones, big, big nuclear powers, and they decided that,” he said.

This is the first time in weeks that Trump did not take credit for stopping the military conflict after India launched Operation Sindoor and destroyed terror infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled areas following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.

Since May 10, when India and Pakistan decided to stop the military conflict, Trump has repeatedly claimed on multiple occasions that he helped settle tensions between the two countries and that he told the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that America would do a lot of trade with them if they stopped the conflict.

Earlier on Thursday, with Trump repeating his persistent claim that he stopped a war between India and Pakistan, hours after speaking with PM Modi and before meeting Munir, the Congress claimed that he has deflated the hype created by Modi’s “PR machinery” and said the prime minister must refute the claims made by the American leader publicly.

Congress’ media and publicity department head, Pawan Khera, asked whether the word of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of External Affairs is now so weak that they can’t even clearly present India’s position in a half-hour call with the US President.

Khera’s remarks came after Modi spoke with Trump and set the record straight that India had paused strikes on Pakistan during Operation Sindoor following a request from Islamabad and not due to mediation or a trade deal offer by the US.

In his 35-minute phone call with Trump on Tuesday, Modi briefed the US President on Operation Sindoor and made it clear that it has never accepted any third-party mediation and will never accept it in the future, according to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

Hours after his phone conversation with Modi, Trump repeated his claim that he stopped a war between India and Pakistan.

In a post on X, Khera quoted Trump – “I stopped the war. I spoke to Prime Minister Modi last night. We’re going to sign a trade deal very soon.”

“Once again, Donald Trump has deflated the hype created by Modi ji’s PR machinery. What we were told through the Foreign Secretary about the contents of a telephone conversation has been publicly contradicted by Trump,” the Congress leader said.

Is the word of Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs now so weak that they can’t even clearly present India’s position in a half-hour call with the US President? he asked.

“When Trump hyphenated India and Pakistan, the government stayed silent. It was the opposition that objected,” Khera said.

“Now, Trump has hyphenated  Modi and (Pakistan Army chief Asim) Munir  – and again, the government remains mute. But the opposition will never accept this insult to the office of India’s prime minister,” he said.

Trump is making these claims himself, neither through officials, nor in private phone calls – he’s making them repeatedly, publicly, Khera pointed out.

“It is the prime minister who must refute these claims, and he must do so publicly,” he asserted.

New Delhi: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has issued a notice to the Bihar government seeking a detailed action-taken report on allegations of former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav insulting a portrait of Dr B R Ambedkar during his birthday celebrations last week.

The Commission has sought the report within 15 days.

The allegations stem from a video circulating online, purportedly showing the RJD chief’s feet near the portrait of Ambedkar during the former’s 78th birthday celebrations, according to media reports.

In the notice, the NCSC has directed state authorities to share information on the alleged incident, including the date and nature of the offence, names and addresses of victims and accused, FIR number and charges filed, arrest details and the status of the investigation or final report.

The NCSC warned that failure to respond within the stipulated time could lead to the Commission invoking its powers under Article 338 of the Constitution, which allows it to summon individuals or representatives to appear before it with relevant documents.

Thiruvananthapuram: Tensions between Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and the state’s Left government escalated on Thursday after General Education Minister V Sivankutty walked out of a Raj Bhavan event in protest at the display of a Bharat Mata portrait, an image often associated with RSS functions.

Raj Bhavan strongly criticised Minister V Sivankutty for walking out of the programme, organised to distribute ‘Scout and Guide Certificates’ for school students, while Arlekar was present on the dais, calling it a “serious breach of protocol and a grave insult to the constitutional office of the Governor.”

Under attack from Raj Bhavan, the minister hit back at the Governor, alleging that Arlekar had violated the Constitution by turning an official function at his residence into a political event.

Amid mounting criticism from the Left government, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, over the use of a saffron-clad image at official functions, the Governor firmly stated: “There is no question of doing away with Bharat Mata, as we draw our idea of patriotism and nationhood from Bharat Mata.”

The new development comes close on the heels of another boycott by another minister in Raj Bhavan over the display of the Bharat Mata image, which indeed set off the controversy.

Recently, State Agriculture Minister P Prasad boycotted an Environment Day programme organised at the Raj Bhavan, objecting to the display of the saffron-clad Bharat Mata image. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan remarked that the Governor’s office should not be used to promote the ideological agenda of the RSS.

Giving details of what happened at the ‘Scout and Guide Certificate’ distribution programme for schoolchildren, Sivankutty said that when he reached the Raj Bhavan after attending another event with the Chief Minister, he saw a Bharat Mata portrait with a saffron flag on the stage, and that floral tributes were being offered and a lamp was being lit in front of it.

“What happened at the event shows arrogance,” he said.

As the event commenced and he was invited to deliver the presidential address, he strongly protested against the display of the portrait in an official government programme and walked out from there, Sivankutty told reporters here.

“I told the Governor, during my speech, that it was a state government programme being conducted jointly by the Raj Bhavan and the state administration. The Bharat Mata portrait displayed here is that of a political organisation. Lighting a lamp before it was not correct, as it is an official programme.

“I strongly protest against this. The Kerala government’s stand on it has already been conveyed by the CM a day ago. If a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi or the Prime Minister were displayed, it would have been prestigious. Instead, Raj Bhavan has been turned into a political centre,” he said.

Sivankutty said that after conveying his protest, he walked out of the event. Raj Bhavan issued a strongly worded statement condemning Sivankutty’s action.

It said the Governor, as the constitutional head of the state, deserves the highest respect from elected representatives, especially ministers who are sworn in by the Governor with an oath of allegiance to the Constitution.

“The walkout staged by the State Minister for Education & Labour, Shri V Sivankutty, from the dais this morning while the Hon’ble Governor was present, is a gross violation of protocol and a grave insult to the office of the Governor,” the statement said.

According to Raj Bhavan, the minister exited the stage without informing the Governor.

“The Minister, sworn in by the Governor, declaring allegiance to the Constitution, has by this public display of misconduct, openly insulted the Governor personally, besides the office of the Governor. The Minister did not even bother to inform the Governor about his abrupt exit,” the statement said.

Raj Bhavan said the Minister’s actions had not only disrespected the Governor but also sent a poor message to the students present.

“Today’s developments are viewed with utmost concern,” the statement concluded.

Hitting back at Arlekar, Minister Sivankutty said that by allowing such an image to be used as part of a ceremonial act during a government programme, the Governor insulted the Constitution.

“It was the Governor who embarrassed himself in front of students. As the constitutional head of the state, he should never have acted in this manner,” Sivankutty said in a statement.

He also questioned the Bharat Mata concept itself, asking: “Does this idea respect the actual borders of India? Is it even mentioned anywhere in the Constitution? What is greater –the Constitution or the image of a saffron-clad woman holding a flag?”

Sivankutty, while talking to the media, also claimed that there was no mention about the portrait being displayed at the event in the programme schedule.

“We cannot allow Raj Bhavan to be turned into an RSS centre. This Governor has taken a political stand which is much worse than that of former Governors,” he said.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan said that had the government indicated its strong protest right after the first incident, “it would not have been repeated again”.

He claimed that the CM reacted very late to the incident.

“Since the government did not indicate its protest earlier, it was repeated. So, no point in putting up such shows now. The government needs to indicate its protest to the Governor and not the media,” he said, referring to Sivankutty’s walkout.