Overview

• Kerala’s education minister announced that a chapter on governors’ constitutional powers and duties will be added to class 10–12 social science textbooks this academic year.
• The move follows Education Minister V. Sivankutty’s June 19 walkout at Raj Bhavan in protest against a portrait of Bharat Mata holding a saffron flag associated with the RSS.
• Governor Rajendra Arlekar has refused to remove the image, arguing it represents patriotism and falls within his ceremonial rights.
• Street protests have been held by the SFI against the portrait, while the ABVP and BJP staged counter-demonstrations and paid floral tributes to the image across districts.
• Opposition parties including the CPI(M) and Congress accuse the governor of promoting RSS ideology, and some BJP figures have called for the saffron flag to replace the national flag.