Aug. 15: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat today hoisted the national flag at a Kerala school's Independence Day event despite the district collector's order that only a teacher or an elected representative should unfurl the Tricolour.
Palakkad collector P. Marykutty had on Monday issued a memo to Karnakayamman Higher Secondary School, apparently after learning that Bhagwat was set to do the honours.
But the school, managed by RSS sympathisers, went ahead with its original programme and allowed the Sangh chief to hoist the flag.
Bhagwat is in Palakkad to attend a two-day meeting of RSS office bearers in the Left-ruled state, which has of late seen a flare-up in political violence involving Sangh and CPM cadres.
Collector Marykutty has told reporters a case would be filed against the school principal and a detailed report submitted to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the education department.
School authorities could not be reached because of the public holiday.
Bhagwat too was not available for comment but a senior member of the organisation, the BJP's ideological mentor, slammed the state government.
"We condemn such brazen attempts by the CPM-led government of Kerala to deny the basic citizen rights of celebrating Independence Day and their continuous attempts to poison the state of Kerala with divisive politics," RSS media in-charge Manmohan Vaidya said in a statement.
A text message from an RSS spokesperson in Bangalore, the Sangh's unofficial southern base, said Bhagwat's visit to the school was based on a two-and-a-half-year-old invitation dated February 28, 2015.
Besides the usual private and government schools, Kerala has a third category of schools that are privately run with the government footing the salary bill. Karnakayamman Higher Secondary School falls in this third category.
State energy minister A.K. Balan reacted sharply to the "violation" of the collector's memo. "This is an open challenge to our democratic systems and total misuse of the national flag," the CPM leader said.
M.B. Rajesh, CPM Lok Sabha member from Palakkad, told reporters the RSS and the BJP were trying to foment trouble in Kerala. "It's a state government-aided school and hence should have followed the collector's orders and not violated the rules," he said.
The BJP's Palakkad district president, E. Krishnadas, flayed the collector. "She is acting like a CPM branch secretary. She can't send out such a circular on non-existent rules," he said.
Bhagwat's hoisting of the Tricolour at the school comes at a time the CPM and the Opposition Congress have both raised suspicions on frequent visits by BJP leaders to the state, where the party finally opened its account in the Assembly last year with a single seat.
While BJP national chief Amit Shah visited the state in June, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley made a day trip on August 6 when he met the family of a slain RSS worker and another person left handicapped following an attack by suspected CPM cadres.
An RSS source in Kerala told this newspaper Bhagwat's visit had been scheduled "months before" the recent flare-up over political killings. "His visits happen after months of planning," said the state office bearer who didn't want to be named.
Sources said Shah would be back soon for a " padayatra" (march) on September 7 from Payyannur in Kannur, the epicentre of the violence, to state capital Thiruvananthapuram to protest the killings.
The CPM has repeatedly claimed its cadres have been the worst hit in the terror unleashed by BJP and RSS workers.
