Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan are playing a cat-and-mouse game by blaming each other even though they are “hand-in-glove as seen on various occasions earlier.”
“This is the same Chief Minister who bowed before the Governor in order to appoint his nominee as the Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University. He had also ratified the appointment of a noted leader of the Sangh Parivar in the office of the Governor, ignoring our opposition to it,” Mr. Satheesan told mediapersons in Kochi on December 13 (Wednesday).
Mr. Satheesan alleged that the Chief Minister prompted the Governor to perform “illegal actions” and then ditched him when it went wrong (referring to the Supreme Court decision to quash the appointment of Gopinath Ravindran as Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University.)
“The public will realise their political drama as the Chief Minister and the Ministers, who had joined sides with the Governor earlier, are now lamenting that the Governor is fuelling saffronisation of university bodies with members of the Sangh Parivar,” he said.
Mr. Satheesan said that the United Democratic Front (UDF) has already voiced its opposition against the nomination of members of the Sangh Parivar to the Senate of the Kerala University.
On lapses in Sabarimala
On the lapses in Sabarimala, the Opposition Leader alleged that there was “a complete lack of coordination” among the police and other government departments.
Despite the glaring lapses as reported by the media and revealed by the anger of the devotees, the Chief Minister is claiming that there are no problems in Sabarimala. The MPs of the UDF had not only presented in Parliament the misery faced by the devotees visiting the shrine, but also sought the intervention of the Centre in resolving the issues, he said.
‘CM insulted MP’
Mr. Satheesan alleged that the Chief Minister had insulted Thomas Chazhikadan, MP of the Kerala Congress (M), by criticising him for raising the problems faced by rubber farmers at the Navakerala Sadas outreach programme at Pala in Kottayam.
“How can the Opposition MLAs attend the sadas to present their views when Mr. Vijayan is insulting people such as K.K. Shailaja, a Central committee member of the CPI(M), (for speaking too much at the outreach programme at Mattanur) and Mr. Chazhikadan?” he asked.
Separate memorandum
On criticism by Mr. Vijayan that UDF MPs did not sign the memorandum submitted by Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal before the Union Finance Minister pointing out the denial of funds by the Centre to Kerala, Mr. Satheesan said they will submit a separate memorandum as Mr. Balagopal’s version had failed to mention the lapses on the part of the government.
