Thiruvananthapuram: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday ignored a restraining order and hoisted the national flag during Independence Day celebrations at a government-aided school in Kerala, prompting immediate action by the district collector.
Bhagwat raised the Tricolour at the Karnaki Amman school in Palakkad district despite orders from the collector that only elected representatives or functionaries of the school are allowed to do so in aided schools.
The collector had issued the order on Monday night but did not attempt to stop the RSS chief from defying it. Hours after the function, she wrote to the police to take action against the school and was exploring with the state legal department whether any action could be taken against the RSS chief.
The pro-Sangh school management said no rule was violated as an earlier state government circular had said the flag should be hoisted by a public figure in the presence of the principal and school authorities.
A statement issued by RSS Prachar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya said that "no other school had been given similar information...Sarsanghchalakji was only exercising his constitutional rights".
"We condemn such brazen attempts by the CPI-M 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," said Manmohan Vaidya.
Kerala had recently witnessed violence between cadres of the CPM and RSS-BJP and this incident is playing out much beyond the technicalities of violating a government order.
CPI(M) MP MB Rajesh said, "There is no problem in Mohan Bhagwat hoisting the flag in an RSS-run school. But not in a school aided by the government."
The RSS and the BJP have stepped up their campaign against the Left Front government in Kerala since the killing of RSS worker Rajesh on July 29. The ruling CPI(M) has denied any links with the arrested accused of the July 29 murder. It also accused the RSS-BJP of fomenting violence and then playing victim.
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