Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of sponsoring the continuing Student Federation of India (SFI) protest against him.
The SFI, which has been on the warpath against the Chancellor for allegedly nominating Sangh Parivar candidates to the senates of Kerala and Calicut Universities, had burned Mr. Khan in effigy on the Payyambalam beach in Kannur on New Year’s eve.
The protest resulted in the arrest of several SFI workers, including its State president K. Anushree. However, the government came under criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for doing little to prevent the protest against the titular head of State.
Speaking to journalists on his arrival in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday evening, Mr. Khan said he was glad that the SFI had burned him only in effigy. “They (SFI) usually burn people alive,” Mr. Khan said. He also dwelled on the allegedly Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]-sponsored violence in Kannur.
Mr. Khan said the government was miffed that the Supreme Court had upheld the statutory authority of the Chancellor to appoint Vice-Chancellors.
Prior approval
He said he sent the University Amendment Bill that sought to remove the Governor as Chancellor of State-funded universities for Presidential consideration because the government had not sought Raj Bhavan’s prior approval to introduce the “Money Bill” in the Assembly.
Asked if there was any scope for a rapprochement with the government on signing Bills passed by the Assembly, Mr. Khan replied: “I cannot undo the Supreme Court’s judgement. I cannot surrender to the government and allow lawlessness in universities. Universities run on taxpayers’ money funded by the State and Central governments. Hence, university-related Bills are Money Bills. The government cannot short-circuit the provision. There are no extra-legal solutions.”
(The government had earlier countered Mr. Khan’s statement saying that Raj Bhavan had not objected when it approved the Cabinet’s recommendation to promulgate Ordinances, later passed as laws by the Assembly).
Mr. Khan said he saw a design to provoke Raj Bhavan to take decisive action. “But I am not going to oblige,” Mr. Khan said.
