Kerala Governor held an unprecedented press meet to criticise Chief Minister Vijayan and several of his party colleagues.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan plays video footage from the Indian History Congress of 2019 at a press meet in Thiruvananthapuram. (KB Jayachandran/ South First)
The turf war between Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and the state’s CPI(M)-led LDF government reached a flashpoint on Monday, 19 September, with the former holding an unprecedented press meet to launch a no-holds-barred attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and a whole host of others, leading Vijayan to reply with another scathing attack.
Vijayan called Khan an “anti-Communist propagandist” after the Governor targeted the chief minister’s private secretary and former Rajya Sabha member KK Ragesh, LDF convenor EP Jayarajan, former ministers KT Jaleel and Saji Cheriyan, octogenarian historian Irfan Habib, and Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Raveendran, among others.
What further complicates the situation is that Khan used the occasion to state in unequivocal terms that there would not be any gubernatorial endorsement of two key amended legislations passed by the state Assembly last week.
The two legislations are meant to curb Khan’s powers as Chancellor of universities in the state, as well as an appellate authority on decisions of the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokayukta.
Khan’s decision to not endorse the Lokayukta law could have far-reaching implications for the government and Vijayan personally, as the watchdog is all set to deliver a judgement in a case of alleged misuse of power by the chief minister. In the amended Lokayukta legislation, Khan has no say in the matter.
It would also be challenging for the government to fill vacancies of vice-chancellors in different state universities with its nominees from now onwards.
At the packed press conference, Khan’s prime target was Vijayan’s private secretary Ragesh who, he alleged, was part of a larger conspiracy to intimidate him at the inaugural of the Indian History Congress held in Kannur University on 28 December, 2019.
At the press meet, the Governor screened what he called “video evidence” and claimed it proved Ragesh’s conspiracy to intimidate him.
It may be recalled that the current bout between the government and the Governor began when the Kannur University attempted to appoint Ragesh’s wife, Priya Varghese, as an associate professor in the Malayalam Department. Using his position as Chancellor of the university, the Governor declared the appointment null and void, leading the the ruling front targeting Khan.
Arif Muhammad Khan addressing a press meet on Monday, 19 September. (South First)
Though the videos related to the heckling incident in Kannur University confirmed the presence of Ragesh, there was nothing to suggest the then Rajya Sabha member attempted to prevent the police from discharging their duties.
When asked about this, Khan countered by asking why a dignitary who shared the stage with him suddenly jumped up and moved too close to police and protestors, raising his voice.
He charged eminent historian Irfan Habib, who was present on the stage, of acting like a goonda and attempting to shout him down over Khan’s stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Khan said whatever happened at the History Congress was preplanned, and the hundreds of placards raised by delegates against him were indicative of that.
Training his guns on Vijayan, the Governor said the chief minister had approached him on many occasions for personal gains, but said that he would not reveal the details for the time being.
He also said the chief minister and cabinet members were causing him severe mental strain by harassing him for narrow gains, personal and political.
“In a state where people are arrested for wearing black shirts, such things can happen. The police personnel tried their best to control the situation at the History Congress and stopped the protestors from reaching me. However, a senior functionary who joined the Chief Minister’s Office later, can be seen in the video clips preventing the police from discharging their duties, including controlling the protestors,” said Khan.
He added that the protestors were not Keralites but those who came from places like JNU and Aligarh University.
“The Malayalis at the function were chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, while the protestors were shouting anti-India slogans. This was a deliberate attack. They were carrying around 100 placards after all,” Khan said, giving the episode an anti-India twist.
He also invoked Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code to argue that the government should have taken cognizance of the matter rather than wait for the Governor to file a case.
Referring to the 11 ordinances which lapsed following his refusal to re-promulgate them — which were passed later by the state Assembly as amended laws — Khan said they were part of an organised attempt “to make legal the many illegalities committed by the state government, including the large-scale nepotism in the case of appointments at the universities”.
Khan said he would not let the autonomy of universities to be diluted and that he would “not allow executive interference in the universities”.
Khan said the Chief Minister’s Office failed to discharge its responsibilities, which was evident during the History Congress. He wondered whether it was as a reward for Ragesh’s role at the History Congress that he was made Vijayan’s political secretary.
Targeting LDF convener EP Jayarajan, the Governor said the ruling front is coordinated by a person who an airline company has banned for unruly behaviour. He said Jayarajan believes he enjoys a right to break the law, and that is why he earned the travel ban for attacking two fellow passengers.
He also blamed CPI(M) for the increasing political murders in the Kannur district and the violent campus politics claiming innocent college-goers’ lives.
Naming former ministers Saji Cheriyan and KT Jaleel, the Governor said it’s a matter of shame that one minister lost his position for denigrating the Indian Constitution and a former minister is facing police cases for speaking Pakistan’s language on Kashmir.
Kerala Minister Saji Cheriyan who resigned after protest over his anti-Constitution remarks. (Saji Cheriyan/Twitter)
“In Kerala, the economy is in the doldrums. Lottery and tax on alcohol are significant means of revenue generation. State development is not a priority of the government. The government is promoting nepotism and giving pensions to party leaders after recruiting them for two years in the personnel staff of ministers,” Khan said.
Releasing three letters written to him by the chief minister, the Governor said Vijayan undermined the dignity of his post by violating rules. “A chief minister who talks of liberal democracy says ‘get out’ to media persons. That is what his democratic convictions are,” said Khan.
“I will not yield to any pressure tactics and unjust actions,” he said.
Khan also justified his meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat as something done out of a personal rapport. He added that RSS was not a banned organisation in the country.
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