Raj Bhavan should not be converted to RSS shakha: Kerala CM 

Thiruvananthapuram, June 18 (IANS) On the eve of the crucial Nilambur Assembly by-election, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday slammed the RSS, saying that the Raj Bhavan -- the official residence of the Governor -- should not be converted to that of an RSS shakha. 

While speaking to the media here, Vijayan pointed out that unlike the Congress, the CPI-M has never had any truck with the RSS and flayed the Kerala Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar’s action of displaying an image of Bharat Mata, following which the State Agriculture Minister P. Prasad boycotted a state level inauguration on World Environment Day.

“Raj Bhavan is an important place in the country, and it should exhibit only Constitutionally accepted norms. It should not be converted to an RSS shakha, and if that happens, then it’s unconstitutional,” said the Chief Minister.

“The image of the Bharata Mata, which was placed in Raj Bhavan, was not the generally accepted image of the Bharat Mata, instead, it had a saffron flag, which represents that the RSS displays, and hence it cannot be accepted as our Constitution does not uphold that,” added Vijayan.

Going deeper to slam the RSS, he said let the RSS respect their symbols, but it should not be thrust upon others, and Raj Bhavan should not be used to propagate RSS ideologies.

“It was in 1925 that the RSS was formed, when the freedom movement had gathered traction. RSS was opposed to the freedom movement, and after Independence, when the Constitution was drafted, the RSS instantly disagreed with it openly,” said Vijayan.

“The CPI-M has always kept a big distance from the RSS, and we have always opposed all types of communalism. None should forget that in the Organiser (RSS organ) editorial on July 17th 1947, they asked for a saffron Indian flag and this Bharat Mata picture at the Raj Bhavan is the same,” added Vijayan.

“All know that the RSS for long has been opposed to the minority communities, and they singled out the Muslims, Christians and the Communists. We have lost 215 of our cadres who were killed by the RSS in Kerala. We have never had any truck with the RSS,” he added.

Chief Minister Vijayan’s strong anti-RSS statement comes a day before the polling begins at Nilambur, where there is a sizeable 43 per cent Muslim population and around 12 per cent Christians.