The Assembly on Monday rejected a ‘substantive motion’ moved by Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala to recall Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.
Mr. Chennithala had pressed the proposal on the ground that Mr. Khan had disparaged the Assembly for the passage of the unanimous resolution demanding the abrogation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The Assembly voted on party lines. The ruling front benches cast 74 ballots against the motion while the Opposition polled 36 votes in favour.
Earlier, the Business Advisory Committee had rejected Mr. Chennithala’s demand by majority opinion, with United Democratic Front members expressing their dissent in writing. Independent MLA P.C. George, who had aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party, abstained. The sole BJP legislator, O. Rajagopal, was absent.
The voting came at the end of an hour-long dispute between the Opposition and the government over whether the Assembly should discuss Mr. Khan’s conduct.
Opposition’s stance
Mr. Chennithala said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had rolled out the red carpet for the very Governor who had publicly belittled his government for appealing against the citizenship law in the Supreme Court without the ‘permission’ of Raj Bhavan.
Mr. Vijayan said Mr. Chennithala had ‘incited’ the Governor to reject the Ordinance that sought to increase the number of elected offices in local bodies. Simultaneously, Mr. Chennithala wanted the government to assail the Governor by seeking his recall. The government could not abide by the Opposition’s ‘Janus-faced nature.’
‘Do not agree with views’
He said Mr. Khan espoused the causes of the BJP-led Union government with more ‘fervour’ than the Centre itself. The government did not agree with his ‘passionate’ views. However, the government had to consider legislative precedent.
Past and current Congress leaders had dissuaded the House from debating the Governor’s conduct as a matter of political propriety. Moreover, the Governor could not come to the House to defend himself though he was a part of it.
