AILU has submitted its protest to the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, seeking immediate intervention to safeguard the neutrality and dignity of judicial institutions.

Addressing the gathering on ‘Cultural Nationalism in Indian Constitution’, Governor Arlekar linked the ongoing controversy to what he described as a wider cultural disconnect. “We’ve reached such an extent now that even Bharat Mata is considered as ‘untouchable’.

Many don’t attend the programmes because of Bharat Mata,” he said. He attributed this mindset to a “disruption in our education system” allegedly caused by colonial influence.

The dispute is rooted in the continuing public spat between the Governor and the state government. The administration had earlier objected to a specific ‘Bharat Mata’ portrait used at Raj Bhavan events, which features a lion and a saffron flag.

Ministers have argued that this particular depiction is not a secular national symbol but allegedly reflects a political and religious ideology associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), prompting them to boycott official functions.

Defending the symbol, Arlekar recounted an instance at Raj Bhavan, “When Bharat Mata’s portrait was kept there, somebody came there and asked, ‘Who’s this lady’… this is the degradation of our cultural ethos.” He also linked the sentiment to the national pledge:

“During my childhood, I was perplexed as to how everyone is my brother and sister. I asked my teacher, but couldn’t get a satisfactory answer. But afterwards, I came to know why… because we have one mother, that is Bharat Mata. If we don’t celebrate Bharat Mata, what will we celebrate?”

The Governor further dismissed multiculturalism as “western thinking”, insisting that India has a single, unified “Indian culture or Bharatiya culture.”

He said, “The rainbow has different shades, but it’s still one rainbow. So also, our culture is one though there may be different shades… our diversity is not the cause of our differences, in fact it’s the cause of our being united.”

Calling for a cultural reawakening, he added, “Nationalism is nothing but saving our culture,” stressing the need to abandon “colonial thought” to restore national pride.