Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha protests exclusion of ‘Lotus’ from School Arts Festival venue names in Thrissur

Members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha staged a protest in Thrissur on Friday (January 9, 2025) against the exclusion of the name ‘Lotus’ (Thamara) from the venues of the State School Arts Festival. The olice detained and removed the protesters, including women activists, from the protest site.

The demonstration took place in front of the Town Hall, where a training programme and uniform distribution for green volunteers was under way. Carrying lotus flowers, the protesters attempted to stage a symbolic protest. The police arrested and removed them just before the arrival of General Education Minister V. Sivankutty at the venue.

The venues for the festival have been named after flowers, but the absence of ‘Lotus’ triggered the protest.

‘Deliberately avoided’

Responding to the controversy, Mr. Sivankutty said he had not anticipated such a protest over the issue. He pointed out that even during the previous State School Arts Festival held in Thrissur, the venues were named after flowers and the lotus was not included then either.

“Since the lotus is the election symbol of a national political party, it was deliberately avoided to prevent unnecessary political disputes,” the Minister said.