Kerala’s General Education Department has updated the Class 10 Social Science textbook with new lessons on the governor’s role, a move that could reignite tensions between the state government and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.

The revised section appears in the ninth chapter, “Janadhipathyam: Oru Indian Anubhavam” (Democracy: An Indian Experience). It opens by noting that the governor’s position has historically been a flashpoint in Centre-state relations, as per a report by The New Indian Express.

An excerpt reads, “Governors are not authorities to control the CM-led cabinet, rather a friend and a visionary.”

The text stresses that while governors are appointed by the Centre, real executive power rests with the chief minister and council of ministers.

It further observes that the role of governors often becomes contentious when different political alliances rule the Centre and state. The book also remarks that political interests are reflected in central schemes, which deepen Centre-state disputes.

General Education Minister V Sivankutty, sharing the revised pages on Facebook, said, “Every citizen who upholds the Constitution should read them.”