Kochi: BJP’s move to remind people of the horrors of the country’s partition on the eve of Independence Day has triggered a political war between the Saffron party and left parties in Kerala which is going to Assembly polls in a few months, media reports said.
Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar had directed state run universities to stage seminars, street plays, and commemorations to mark Partition Horrors Remembrance Day on August 14.
Vice-Chancellors were asked to submit action plans for the observance.
The CPM and Congress students’ outfits SFI and KSU have vowed to disrupt such events which were first introduced in 2021
with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that 14 August would be marked in memory of those who lost their lives and were displaced during the partition.
“Partition’s pains can never be forgotten… Millions were uprooted and many killed due to mindless hate and violence,” Modi had said when launching the commemoration.
This is the first time Kerala’s universities have received formal instructions to observe the day.
A few months back the Governor directive to mark 25 June as the anniversary of the Emergency, as Constitution Assassination Day had led to controversy.
The CPM, Congress and others have accused the BJP and Sangh Parivar to push a divisive communal agenda, overshadowing Independence Day celebrations on August 15, and to selectively interpret history.
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