Why Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has resumed his attacks on the Pinarayi Vijayan government

Suffering from fever, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has remained silent in Assembly sessions since October 8. He did not participate in the discussions when the opposition attacked his government over an interview of the CM by The Hindu in New Delhi and the revelations made by independent legislator PV Anvar who quit the CPI(M). Anvar met Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on October 8 and handed over some documents that were supposed to serve as evidence. The series of controversies also gave the governor an opportunity to corner Pinarayi and the Left Democratic Front government.

Pinarayi revealed to the newspaper that Governor Khan wrote to him seeking information on “hawala and gold smuggling money used for anti-national activities”. When Pinarayi ignored the letter, the governor directed chief secretary Sarada Muraleedharan and DGP Darvesh Saheb to brief him at the Raj Bhavan by 4 pm on October 8 about the actions taken by the government. The CM told employees to ignore the letter as it was “not constitutionally binding” on them.

The governor then sent the government another letter seeking information and claiming that the CM’s revelations were of such a “serious nature” that the President of India had to be informed about it, forcing the Kerala government to consult constitutional experts on whether to respond or no. no. “It was a serious revelation made by the chief minister,” said a Raj Bhavan source. “If such anti-national activities are rampant in the state, the head of state must have been informed. It is mandatory and a constitutional obligation.” Earlier, the CM had responded that the government could not issue orders based on business practices to allow senior officials to appear before the governor.

Constitutional experts say the governor exceeded his instructions. “The governor does not have the constitutional power to demand an explanation from the government based on news denied by the newspaper,” says Dr. Sebastian Paul, constitutional expert and former member of Parliament. “He is acting on his whims and fancies. He must read the Constitution at least once to understand his powers and duties.”

Legally, the governor may not be able to harm the government. With the support of the Opposition Congress and the BJP, however, Governor Khan is trying to keep the issue alive, collecting evidence to build his case against the government that a large number of Muslims are involved in gold smuggling and hawala are supporting divisive activities in Kerala.

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