THIRUVANANTHAPURAM — The 77th Republic Day celebrations were held on a grand scale across Kerala on Monday, but the official ceremony in the state capital was marked by a fresh flashpoint in the ongoing standoff between the Governor and the LDF government.
At the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Governor Rajendra Arlekar hoisted the national flag, inspected the parade comprising various contingents, and received the ceremonial salute.
However, in a departure from convention, the Governor chose to deviate from the printed speech that had been distributed at the Republic Day function.
The speech is traditionally prepared by the state government in consultation with Raj Bhavan, making the omission politically significant.
The move comes against the backdrop of a simmering controversy over the Governor’s role in the address delivered at the start of the Assembly session.
GovernorArlekar had unilaterally made changes to the policy address, following which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan read out portions that had been omitted, triggering a major constitutional and political debate.
The Chief Minister later criticised the Governor on the floor of the house for skipping certain sections of the address, asserting that the government stood by the content.
The Lok Bhavan, in response, maintained that the omitted portions contained factual inaccuracies and that the government had assured corrections would be made.
The disagreement has since escalated, with the Governor formally seeking clarification.
As part of this, Lok Bhavan has written to the Assembly Speaker requesting the text and video footage of the speech delivered by the Chief Minister after the policy address.
While the Republic Day ceremony proceeded smoothly on the ground, the Governor’s decision not to read the prepared speech underscored the continuing tension between the constitutional head of the state and the elected government.
Incidentally, it was Vijayan who received Arlekar when he came to the Central stadium here, the venue of the parade. –IANS
