New Delhi: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday claimed that his car was “attacked” by the Students Federation of India activists at the behest of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as he has called for a report on the financial health of the state government.
“The chief minister is saying the government is not bound to reply to every query of the Governor. Let him not reply. I will wait for 10 days. And then, if the state is in crisis, it is my duty to make my recommendations to the central government,” Khan told reporters at Kerala Bhavan, a day after the incident in Thiruvananthapuram.
He said the state chief secretary in an affidavit to the high court has stated that the Kerala government is not in a position to disburse the pension of employees.
The state chief secretary also stated in the affidavit that the Kerala government is not in a position to honour the financial guarantees that it has given, he said, adding “Which means financial emergency in the state. And I have asked for a report”.
Khan claimed that the state government is “so piqued” by him after he has called for a report on Kerala’s financial health following the chief secretary’s affidavit to the High Court.
CPI(M)-affiliated Students Federation of India (SFI) activists allegedly hit the Kerala governor’s car while he was on his way to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to leave for Delhi.
“It is the chief minister who has hatched this conspiracy (to attack him). Three days ago, he made a public statement. He said the governor is provoking the students. But he did not give the instance as to how I am actually provoking them,” Khan said “This is not the first time… In Kannur, they had tried to assault me physically. The one who was preventing police from taking action against those creating disturbance has been rewarded by the chief minister by appointing him his secretary,” he charged.
After meeting Khan at Kerala Bhavan, Union Minister V Muralidharan and former president of the BJP’s state unit slammed the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government over Monday’s incident and said it depicted the dangerous situation and the level of law and order situation in Kerala.
“He was attacked thrice during his travel from the Raj Bhavan to the airport…. The Kerala chief minister and communist party (CPI-M) and the communist party secretary have been issuing threats to the governor for the last few weeks,” Muralidharan alleged.
“It’s because the governor has been upholding the law and the Constitution and is also taking a firm stand against the corruption of the state government and nepotism.
“And the fact that the Supreme Court has upheld the view of the governor has made the communist party and their ruling friend take up this issue on the streets,” the Union minister charged.
Muralidharan alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s government is trying to build a “false narrative” that the Centre is trying to harass the state government.
“There will be a time when people of Kerala will come forward to resist such goons on the streets,” he added.
PTI

Press Trust of India