Kerala Leaders Call Arlekar’s Partition Day Order an Overreach

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar have locked horns once again, this time over a Raj Bhavan directive to State-run universities to observe August 14 as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’. The move comes on the heels of the recent row over the ‘saffron flag-holding Bharat Mata’ image and months after the Governor’s similar call to mark June 25 as ‘Constitution assassination day’. The latest circular instructs vice chancellors to organise seminars, street plays, and other events depicting the trauma of Partition, and to submit action plans for the observance. It echoes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2021 call to commemorate the date nationally, but marks the first time Kerala universities have received a formal directive to do so. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the move as “unconstitutional and unacceptable,” accusing the Sangh Parivar, “which had no role in the freedom struggle and served the British Raj”, of seeking to undermine Independence Day. “Partition and the riots thereafter were the result of the British ‘divide and rule’ policy. The Raj Bhavan’s stance aligns with a divisive political agenda. Our universities will not be used as platforms for such an agenda,” he said. General Education Minister V Sivankutty accused the Governor of running a “parallel administration” and questioned the intent behind the observance. “Which Partition is he referring to? The RSS, which had no role in the freedom struggle, has only worked to divide society. The Governor is echoing this ideology,” he alleged. CPI M state secretary M V Govindan said the circular was part of implementing the RSS agenda. “While people fought unitedly for independence, the RSS aided imperialism and targeted so-called ‘internal enemies’. Now they seek to diminish Independence Day by pushing Partition Horrors Day. In BJP-ruled states, it’s mandatory. Imposing it in Kerala will not be allowed,” he said, urging the academic community and public to protest. Higher Education Minister R Bindu warned the directive would “undermine secular values” and “foster divisive thoughts” in campuses. She accused the RSS, with central government support, of trying to mislead youth into building a theocratic state based on the ideology of Manusmriti. “In Kerala, Independence Day is celebrated to nurture constitutional and democratic values. The Sangh Parivar’s move to replace this with communal discord must be recognised and resisted,” she said.