Suresh Gopi asks "How can politics be attributed to the lotus flower?"

Union Minister Suresh Gopi has questioned the exclusion of the lotus flower from the names of venues for the Kerala School Kalolsavam. He stated that the lotus is a national flower and should not be politicized. Gopi suggested that organizers were misled into not naming a venue after 'Thamara' (Lotus). Following protests, one venue was reportedly renamed 'Thamara'.