Pinarayi Vijayan complains about Guv Khan to President

Thiruvananthapuram:  In a new of events in the tussle between the chief minister and the governor, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to the President complaining about the actions of governor Arif Mohammed Khan. 

In a letter on Thursday to President Droupadi Murmu, CM Vijayan said that Governor Khan was not doing his job and engaged in protocol violations.  Recent acrimonious  exchanges between Khan and Vijayan have hit the headlines and were in display on the streets too with the ruling CPM's student wing, SFI taking out protests against the governor over his obstructionist actions regarding university appointments and the governor's stout resistance of the protests.  At one point,  Khan came out of his car and made police remove banners and posters put up at the University of Calicut campus by the student protesters against him.

The government has also been irritated by the governor's sitting on several bills passed by the assembly, a delay which invited critical comments even by the Supreme Court.  On the highest court taking up the matter,  Khan signed one of them and referred the seven others  to the President.

In the background, Vijayan’s letter states that the "president should intervene as Khan is not doing his job as a governor". 

Khan has also on more than one occasion alleged that the students were emboldened,  if not inspired by the chief minister in the violent protests against him.

According to sources as mentioned by IANS, Vijayan’s letter states that several Bills passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly were not being signed by Khan.

Another complaint is that Khan has been violating protocol as was seen a few days back, when on his way to the airport here, he stopped his car and got out to take on the SFI protesters. Also at Kozhikode on Monday, Khan walked through the streets at SM Street, famed for retail shops and city's pastries at Kozhikode.

Incidentally last week, CM Vijayan told the media that things were going from bad to worse with the way Khan was going about and they will have to approach those concerned.

Khan is yet to respond and later in the day he is leaving for Delhi where he is expected to respond,  as he has done many times about the Kerala chief minister.  The Governor has often said that he was answerable only to the President of India.

(With inputs from IANS)