Kerala: CM Pinarayi Vijayan slams Governer Arif Khan

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Wednesday, saying that Khan, who glorifies RSS, turned the Raj Bhavan into a hub of political activism, IANS reported.

The Kerala CM said, "Unprecedented things are happening in Kerala as we all saw a press meeting in Raj Bhavan... such a thing is happening in Kerala for the first time and perhaps in the country also. There are times when differences of opinion between the state government and Governor arise and when it happens, then are accepted ways to address such."

"Constitution is the backbone in a democracy, and the Governor is the Constitutional head, while the executive is the elected government. The Constitution is very clear on the powers of the Governor, and the Sarkaria Commission also states very clearly what the powers of the Governor is," the CM said.

On Monday, Khan lashed out at Vijayan, saying that the latter even went to the extent of requesting him to appoint a Vice Chancellor of his choice in his home town in Kannur. However, the CM rebutted everything Khan claimed. Vijayan praised renowned historian Irfan Habib and also Kannur Vice Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran.

The CM continued, "Of, late Khan has time and again been referring to the incident that occurred at the Indian History Congress (held in Kannur three years back). 92-year-old hugely popular historian Irfan Habib took part, and Khan calls him a 'goonda'. All know how Habib has been hunted and haunted by the Sangh Parivar forces for long as he has all along staunchly opposed their way of tinkering with the educational system, including the curriculum. Likewise, Ravindran also has been strongly opposing saffronisation of Universities and quit as Member-Secretary of the Indian Council of Historical Research," he said.

He accused RSS of having the plan to turn universities into political laboratories, where governors would be appointed first as vice-chancellors, and then Sangh Parivar activists could be brought inside campuses.

"In some states, the respective Governors have not signed laws appointing Chief Ministers as the Chancellor of Universities, and this is done to ensure that the Hindutva agenda can be implemented if the Governor retains it (the power)," he said.

When he was reminded that Khan told the media that he would soon reach out to the people, the CM said, "You never know, he (Khan) might be fielded by the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Kerala, and if that's the case, then it's fine."

Asked what favours he sought from Khan as claimed by him, Vijayan said: "I have not taken favours from anyone, and it's not proper on my part to say what all things were discussed between us when we met."

CM Vijayan later said that the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) would not be implemented in Kerala. "Perhaps it's that what Khan is now often raking the Indian History Congress incident because the protest that took place at the venue was when the anti-CAA protests were at its peak," he added.