Kerala Governor Arif Muhammed Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ( File Photo from Facebook )
Thiruvananthapuram: The tensions between the Chief Minister and the Governor are escalating over remarks made in a controversial interview. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan stated that the Chief Minister’s response letter, in which he claimed that no anti-national activities were occurring in the state, was filled with contradictions. The Governor clarified his position by reading out the details of the letter sent by the Chief Minister in front of the media.
On Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said, “If I come to know that certain activities which are prejudicial to the security and integrity of the country are going on- Is it my duty to report to the president or not? And when the source of this information is the chief minister himself then is it not proper on my part to write to him and ask him why he has not shared this information with me and why he has kept me in the dark and provided all the information? Now he is saying that he has never said there is any anti-national activity. He says there was absolutely no mention of anti-national or anti-state activities going on in any public statement made by me, I am ready to believe him. But in the same letter, he says gold smuggling is an activity which jeopardizes the national economy and also is one of the causes of tax leakage.”
“When the officials were called to the Raj Bhavan, the Chief Minister was ready to respond. This is a serious matter. The Chief Minister did not send the officials because he has something to hide, and from now on, both the Chief Secretary and the DGP should come to the Raj Bhavan,” the Governor stated.
The Governor had previously clarified that the Chief Minister is aware of the repercussions of not sending officials to the Raj Bhavan. The Chief Minister expressed strong dissatisfaction over the Governor’s reference in his letter that he has something to hide regarding the anti-national comments. The Governor’s allegations are baseless, the Chief Minister asserted.
