New DelhiThe ongoing tussle between Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and the state government has now reached its peak. Days after controversially asking 11 university vice-chancellors resign And slamming the ministers who criticized him, the governor has now demanded action against state finance minister KN Balagopal. Not surprisingly, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is not ready to play the ball.
Khan, whose relations with the state government have deteriorated over the past few weeks, wrote a letter to the CM on 25 October in which he said that Balagopal had “stopped enjoying my happiness” because he had violated “the oath I administered to him”.
The trigger for this letter was a 19 October speech At the University of Kerala, in which Balagopal compared “democratic functioning” educational establishments in the state to Uttar Pradesh, where he claimed students were shot by gunmen of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) vice-chancellor years ago .
Balagopal, talking about his days as a student activist, had said, “The situation (V-Cs walking around with armed guards) was similar in many other universities out there.”
Khan, who hails from UP’s Bulandshahr, has indicated in his letter that he considers the minister’s remarks aimed at himself.
He wrote that Balagopal’s remarks promoted “regionalism” and “challenged not only national unity and integrity, but also the constitutional tradition that required that the governor of every state be from outside the state”.
He said that BHU is a central university and does not come under the control of the UP government. Furthermore, “it had more vice-chancellors of other states including southern states than UP”, he wrote. He said the CM should take “constitutionally appropriate action” against Balagopal.
However, Vijayan rejected this demand in a letter. Official source quoted by PTIand said that his trust in Balagopal was “unfulfilled”.
“From the constitutional point of view, keeping in view the democratic traditions and conventions of our country, (Balagopal’s) statement cannot be grounds for cessation of the enjoyment of the Governor’s enjoyment… Would appreciate that no further action is required to be taken in the matter,” he had reportedly written.
Notably, when Khan asked the 11 V-C to resign on the ground that there were discrepancies in the selection process, several leaders of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government called the move “autocratic”, with the CM even It was alleged that the Governor was acting as an “instrument of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
According to political observers, the current line is also more about politics than the issue of “regionalism”.
“Balagopal was comparing campus politics in the north and the south. But it is not correct to view the current debate as regional. Can’t one compare one state with another? Basically, what the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot do is getting it done by the governor,” said political commentator J. Prabhas said.
It is an allegation that has cropped up several times in the past few days, inviting the wrath of the governor, who earlier this month threatened adamant ministers to “withdraw their happiness” even before the VC issue stirred up.
Read also: Why Kerala Governor Wants 11 University V-Cs And How It Has Turned Into A Political Slugfest
Critics warn of ‘withdrawing happiness’
A day after Khan called for the resignation of the V-C, the Kerala High Court on Monday allowed V-Cs would remain in their positions until a final order was passed by the governor – but the war of words had already set in motion.
While Khan officially ‘withdrew his happiness’ only from Balagopal, his letter to the state higher education minister R.K. References to news reports on the point are also included.
on Sunday, he told the media That the Governor’s notice to the V-C was unprecedented and “can be seen as part of a consideration to interfere with the current activities” in the higher education sector.
At the beginning of the month, Bindu had a tussle with the governor. alleged That he was trying to “implement the RSS agenda” in matters relating to the state’s higher education system.
Then on October 17, Khan tweeted- allegedly in response To remark to the point – statements of ministers that “undermining the dignity of the office of Governor may invite action including withdrawal of Anand”.
After the VC’s uproar, when Law Minister P. Rajeev said he would examine the legality of the order, Khan called He was an “ignorant, uneducated man” who had no authority over him. He also said that “brilliant people go out because these ignorant people are ruling your state”.
CM Vijayan himself has been one of Khan’s strongest critics, often accusing the governor of being an agent of the central government.
Last month, when Khan claimed at a press conference that the Chief Minister’s Office was complicit in an incident of alleged assault against him at Kannur University, the Chief Minister rained heavily With a flurry of complaints.
“As a governor, he is administered the oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. The Constitution states that the governor should act with the help and advice of the cabinet, but here, he is in open confrontation with the government, which is anti-constitutional,” Vijayan said. He also criticized Khan’s meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
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