Overview

• On June 28, Education Minister V. Sivankutty held a press conference in Kozhikode calling the saffron-flagged portrait a “religious image” that undermines the secular nature of the Constitution.
• Key LDF ministers first boycotted Raj Bhavan ceremonies on June 5 and June 19 to protest the display of the Bharat Mata image.
• The state cabinet ruled on June 25 that only symbols enshrined in the Constitution may feature at official functions.
• Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has formally communicated the government’s objection to Governor Arlekar over the use of non-mandated national symbols.
• Public protests and heated debates continue in Kerala despite the governor’s refusal to remove the contested image.