Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan today, Wednesday, December 13, persisted in his scathing critique of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet, and questioned the government's interference in his nominations to university senates, reports PTI.
Khan stated, "How are they concerned about whom I nominate to the senate? The CM and the ministers have absolutely no shame. The state Finance Minister came and requested me to nominate a person.”
"How did these people (CM and ministers) know that the people I nominated were different from the list recommended by the Vice-Chancellor? They (CM and ministers) recommended the list of nominees to the VC to recommend the same to me," Khan alleged while speaking to reporters in the national capital. He said he had ordered an inquiry and if it was found that VCs were recommending names proposed by the CM and ministers, "I am going to take action against those VCs".
He emphasised his authority, declaring, "No one can force me to nominate someone. If I have the power, I will exercise my discretion. I am not obligated to tell you (media) how I exercised my discretion." Regarding the high court's stay on student senate nominations, Khan expressed unawareness of the reasons but noted the court's silence on the nominations.
Khan further condemned the attack on his vehicle by Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activists, questioning the legitimacy of damaging government property in protests. Dismissing ministers' criticisms, he said, "They (ministers) are entitled to their opinion. Everybody has seen my car has been attacked. I am not attacking anyone. But for them, their political morality. If this is what they are saying, they are talking about their own personality and character. That is their mindset, their mental level."
He also questioned the purpose of the state's outreach programme, Nava Kerala Sadas, stating, "But there is no solution to any of the problems on the spot. So, is it a yatra for fun? What is the purpose of the yatra? They say they collected over three lakh petitions. Is that the purpose? It defies logic, defies reason."
Lamenting the government's inability to pay pensions to long-serving individuals, Khan criticised lavish spending on non-essential projects, saying, "So, I do not know how to react to this situation."
The Ggovernor's conflict with the ruling LDF intensified after the Supreme Court's rebuke of Gopinath Ravindran's reappointment as VC, with Khan accusing the CM of undue pressure.
