THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At a time when the face-off between Kerala government and the Raj Bhavan has reached a crescendo with both sides not willing to compromise, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Draupadi Murmu against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan alleging that he is not fulfilling his constitutional duties and constantly violating the protocol.
The letter assumes huge significance at a time when the CM and his council of ministers have been outrightly criticising Khan and the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Kerala on January 2, as a prelude to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
CM Vijayan in his letter has requested the Centre to recall the Governor. The letter also stated about Khan prolonging the approval of bills, thus withholding bills and thereby trying to curtail the constitutional machinery in the state.
The confrontation between Khan and the Left government had begun two years ago when the Governor had raised the issue of nepotism in the state-controlled universities and also while referring to the financial burden the state is incurring on the tax-paying citizens by allegedly indulging in extravaganza.
The allegation was followed by a war of words between the CM and the Governor that led to a strained relationship between the Raj Bhavan and the CMs office.
A week earlier, Khan engaged in a face-to-face encounter with SFI activists who were protesting against him. During the confrontation, the Governor, displaying visible anger, openly challenged the SFI activists and publicly labelled them as criminals.
However, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan justified the SFI students and questioned the actions of Khan at the ‘Nava Kerala Sadas’ programme in Kollam.
“The Governor openly labels protesting students as criminals while casually strolling through the markets of Kozhikode. He is causing unrest in the state, and he needs to clarify his intentions. He can wander through the SM street in broad daylight, demonstrating the commendable law and order situation in the state.
“Does he engage in such activities in other states? The students protesting against him are not criminals, as he claims. They are expressing their dissent against his actions as the Chancellor, in a democratic manner,” the CM said while addressing the crowd.
CM Vijayan had told the media last week that the relationship with Khan was going from bad to worse and that they would have to approach a higher authority and raise the matter.