CM Pinarayi Vijayan attends event at Governor House following Bharat Mata portrait controversy; voices dissent over Raj Bhavan's new quarterly journal

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], September 28 (ANI): Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visited Raj Bhavan on Saturday for the first time following the controversy over the display of the Bharat Mata portrait with a saffron flag. He attended the launch of ‘Rajhamsa’, the Raj Bhavan’s newly introduced quarterly journal, in the presence of Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. The inaugural issue was formally released when CM Pinarayi Vijayan handed a copy to MP Shashi Tharoor.

Notably, the highly debated Bharat Mata portrait was not placed on the stage. Only the national flag and the event banner were displayed.

During the ceremony, CM Pinarayi Vijayan expressed his dissent regarding an article carried in the first edition of Rajhamsa. He clarified that the views expressed in the article reflected the author’s personal opinions and did not represent the government’s stance.

“Ours is a dialogic society. Articles that reflect perspectives different from, or even opposed to, the government may appear in this journal. For instance, the very first edition carries an article titled ‘Article 200 and a Constitutional Conundrum’, which discusses the powers of the Governor, the Legislature, and related constitutional issues. These opinions are not necessarily those of the government; they represent the author’s individual views. The fact that they appear in Raj Bhavan’s official journal does not mean the government shares them,” CM Pinarayi Vijayan said while the Governor was on stage.

He further added, “Our public democratic space, enriched by the legacy of the Renaissance, allows for dissent and opposing viewpoints. That does not trouble the government.”

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, in response, told ANI, “I never said that whatever is written reflects my opinion. It is open for anyone to express views in the journal.”

At the event, MP Shashi Tharoor suggested that the name of Raj Bhavan should be changed to “Lok Bhavan” emphasizing that Raj Bhavan should be people’s house. The Governor noted that Tharoor’s proposal had been previously raised by him during the 2022 Governors’ Conference at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He added that it was important to discard colonial legacies and welcomed Tharoor’s suggestion.

Meanwhile, the Governor did not comment on the Chief Minister’s criticism during the event, stating only that he understood the matter when he asked Tharoor what the Chief Minister said. (ANI)

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