Kerala CM Slams Governor’s ‘Partition Horror Day’ Circular

Thiruvananthapuram:Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday criticised Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar's circular to vice chancellors to observe August 14 as "Partition Horror Day," calling it unconstitutional.

In a statement, the chief minister said the directive aligns with the divisive political agenda of the Sangh Parivar. "We cannot allow our universities to be used as platforms for such agendas," he stated.

Pinarayi pointed out that during the freedom struggle, those who focused on fighting 'internal enemies' instead of opposing foreign powers are now advocating for a Remembrance Day that undermines the importance of Independence Day.

He added that members of the Sangh Parivar, who once reassured the British Viceroy of their loyalty to the British Crown, are now speaking about the horrors of partition while disregarding the united national freedom struggle by people of various castes and religions in India.

The chief minister stated that India's partition and the ensuing riots were a consequence of the British government's divide-and-rule policy, which seems to have been forgotten by the so-called old British `slaves'. He pointed out that it was the Sangh Parivar that ridiculed figures like Mahatma Gandhi, who worked to quell the riots during the partition.

Pinarayi remarked that August 15, India's Independence Day, serves as a reminder of the anti-imperialist struggle and the brutal atrocities committed by the British to suppress it. He criticised the notion of requiring another celebration apart from August 15, as India marks seventy-eight years of independence, attributing it to the intellectual hubs of the Sangh Parivar.

He asserted that those who collaborated with the British Raj without participating in the freedom struggle are the ones undermining Independence Day.