Thiruvananthapuram, June 20 (IANS) With the tensions escalating between the Kerala government and Raj Bhavan on Friday, it has been decided that the “constitutional powers of the Governor” will now be included in Class 10 textbooks in the state from the current academic year.

This decision was conveyed to the media by the State Education Minister V. Sivankutty, who on Thursday staged a walkout from an official event at the Governor’s residence, protesting the display of a controversial Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-style image of the Bharat Mata.

On Friday, he said that to start with, the topic of Governor’s powers would be included in Class 10 textbooks.

“Then as and when the change in curriculum takes place, it would be included in other classes too. See, this should be taught in schools as children should know all these things,” Sivankutty added.

Thursday was not the first time that a State Minister has raised objection to the RSS-style image of the Bharat Mata, when early this month during the World Environment Day celebrations, State Agriculture Minister P. Prasad skipped a Raj Bhavan event after learning that the same image would be displayed.

The state government had hastily organised a parallel event at the Secretariat to avoid a confrontation.

Incidentally, the friction between Raj Bhavan had reached a new low when Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar’s predecessor Arif Mohammed Khan had several skirmishes with the Kerala Ministers and not to mention even with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and on a few occasions not even the customary pleasantries were seen exchanged when the two came together on the same stage.

It peaked when neither Vijayan nor any of his Cabinet Ministers came to bid farewell on the day when Arif Mohammed Khan left Kerala.

However, Vijayan made sure that he was on time to receive Governor Arlekar when he arrived at the airport to be sworn in.

Many expressed surprise when Governor Arlekar drove to Vijayan’s residence and wished him and presented gifts on his 80th birthday last month and tongues started to wag that a new story of bonhomie between Vijayan and Governor Arlekar has been scripted.

However, now with the decision to include the powers of Governor in the school curriculum in the state, it appears the bonhomie was short-lived.

–IANS

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