Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 15: Independence Day celebrations in Palakkad came with a political twist after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat ignored an order by the district administration which restricted him from hoisting the national flag at a government-aided school.
The RSS chief hoisted the tricolour at the Karnakayamman Higher Secondary School at Moothanthara in Palakkad district at about 9 am on Tuesday. The school management, reported as close to the Sangh Parivar, is likely to face action for defying District Collector P Mary Kutty's order which stipulated that organisational leaders could not hoist the national flag at a government-aided school.
The Collector’s directive was sent late Monday night to the school management, the district police chief, Tahsildar and the Deputy Director of Education, pointing out that only school administrators or elected people’s representatives should hoist the national flag at schools. The directive was sent in the wake of a message from the ADGP, Intelligence, regarding possible “violation” of government directions at the event.
Bhagwat, after hoisting the national flag, addressed a gathering at the school. The RSS chief is in Kerala on a two-day visit as the ruling CPM and the RSS-BJP are in an uneasy truce following an intense political war of words over last month’s killing of an RSS member, S N Rajesh, in Thiruvananthapuram.
State leaders of the BJP have slammed the District Collector’s move and said as an Indian citizen, Bhagwat was within his rights to hoist the national flag. They also countered the district administration’s directive by maintaining that RSS was not a political outfit. The CPM said the RSS’ decision to defy the district administration was part of efforts to reignite political violence in the state.
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