The Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, on Thursday welcomed Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's reported decision to send a letter to Raj Bhavan, criticising the display of the Bharat Mata portrait.

However, Satheesan described the Chief Minister’s move as "delayed." He firmly stated that neither Raj Bhavan nor the official programmes of the Governor should be transformed into platforms for political and religious campaigns.

Referring to the tense atmosphere that prevailed a day prior at the Kerala University Senate campus, where SFI activists clashed with police over the display of the Bharat Mata portrait—a symbol typically associated with RSS events—at a private function attended by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the opposition leader alleged it was an attempt by the Sangh Parivar to create "communal polarisation."