The growing discord between Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and the government and the Opposition over his stance on a resolution passed by the Assembly demanding the Centre to rescind the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is likely to impede the smooth start of the Assembly’s budget session that is likely to commence on January 30.
Mr. Khan as well as the government and the Opposition have refused to budge from their stated positions and the slanging match over the Act is set to precipitate the crisis and rupture the ties further.
Customary address
Mr. Khan will have to deliver his customary address to the House on government invitation ahead of the presentation of the budget scheduled for February 7.
While Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has exercised restraint and chosen to steer clear of the row, Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan has come out strongly in defence of the resolution and reiterated that the Assembly will take up issues such as the CAA, if needed, in future too.
The Opposition Congress had also raised a demand for moving a similar resolution in the Assembly against the CAA and more States are likely to follow suit too.
Only to Centre
Government sources told The Hindu that the resolution in question would not be forwarded to the Governor and would only be sent to the Centre from the Law Department as a routine procedure. But a thaw in relations was imperative for inviting the Governor to address the House.
The Governor enjoys protection under Article 361 of Constitution which says that he shall not be answerable to any court for exercising and performing his powers and duties. It also seals the scope for initiating any criminal proceedings against him while in office.
Hence, it has become obvious that Mr. Khan may not relent to the combined political duress of the government and the Opposition, be it on the CAA or any such issue.
The current political climate, especially when the protest against the Act is spreading fast across the country, neither the rival fronts nor the government have a leeway to retract from their positions. Though a rapprochement seems to be elusive at present, a solution may evolve before the government sets the date for the session, the sources said.
