Kottayam(Kerala) | The 'Bharat Mata' controversy continued in Kerala on Tuesday, with the BJP congratulating the CPI's district leadership for issuing a local party event poster featuring an image of 'Bharat Mata', which was later withdrawn by the party.
The day also witnessed a protest march by CPI's youth wing AIYF to the Raj Bhavan over the 'Bharat Mata' issue.
On Monday, Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar had paid tributes to a 'Bharat Mata' portrait during Goa Day celebrations at the Raj Bhavan, while the CPI withdrew a local party event poster featuring a different version of the Bharat Mata image, showing her holding the national tricolour.
As part of the Goa Day celebrations at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, Arlekar had paid floral tributes to the same 'Bharat Mata' portrait which had resulted in State Agricultural Minister and CPI leader P Prasad boycotting the Environment Day event there last week.
Goa Foundation Day was celebrated at the Kerala Raj Bhavan as part of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' initiative, the Governor's office said.
The same day, the CPI withdrew a poster, in connection with a local party event here from June 13 to 15, that carried an image of 'Bharat Mata' dressed in a tricolor saree and holding the national flag.
The BJP on Tuesday congratulated the CPI's district leadership for coming out with the poster, but expressed regret that it was withdrawn and that an explanation was issued by the Left party regarding it.
V B Binu, CPI District Secretary, had said that as soon as information about the poster was received, instructions were given to withdraw it from social media to avoid "unnecessary controversy".
He also said that it was not right to combine the national flag with party programmes or symbols.
In response to the incident, BJP leader N Hari, in a statement, claimed the poster was a response to Prasad's decision to boycott the event at the Raj Bhavan.
The BJP leader further said that the poster was the beginning of a big change.
He further said, in his statement, that during the freedom struggle, leaders of the movement had proudly raised 'Bharat Mata ki jai' slogans, but currently that was not the situation.
"They are afraid to say Bharat Mata and this fear is due to vote bank politics," he claimed.
Later in the evening, the All India Youth Federation (AIYF) held a protest march to the Raj Bhavan at Thiruvananthapuram calling for the recall of the Governor.
The AIYF activists faced several rounds of water-cannon barrage and tried to topple the barricades set up by the police to block them from reaching the Raj Bhavan.
After shouting slogans against the Governor, they placed a plant near the barricades and then dispersed from the area.
The CPI, the second-largest partner in the ruling LDF in Kerala, was the first to object to the use of the 'Bharat Mata' portrait by the Raj Bhavan.
CPI leader and minister, Prasad, boycotted the Environment Day event at the Raj Bhavan as floral tributes had to be paid to the portrait.
He had later said that there was no official version of the 'Bharat Mata' according to the Constitution or the Indian government and the portrait at the event was widely used by the RSS.
Shortly thereafter, the CPI announced a campaign of hoisting the national flag and planting saplings before it.
On June 7, it hoisted national flags and planted saplings at all its branches and also raised 'Bharat Mata ki jai' slogans.
The very next day, Arlekar took a dig at the Left party saying, "Those who never thought of 'Bharat Mata' are saying 'Bharat Mata ki jai'. That is a good contribution. I appreciate that."
The same day, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said that there was no concept of 'Bharat Mata' as it was not there in the Constitution.
