Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government has initiated a move to warm up to the Raj Bhavan close on the heels of Governor Arif Mohammad Khan accepting the former's invitation to attend its official Onam celebrations.
The General Administration Department, under the direct control of the Chief Minister, has issued four government orders, including three on appointments, sought by the Raj Bhavan. It is for the first time that four orders for the Raj Bhavan are issued from the same department on the same day.
One of them is for appointing a hospital attendant on deputation in the dispensary in the Raj Bhavan. The order in this regard is based on the letter sent by the additional chief secretary of the Governor on July 12. Another office attendant, whose deputation tenure was set to end on August 31, has been given an extension for another year. The fourth order is to regularise the term of two attenders in Raj Bhavan after their deputation tenure there had ended. They had worked on deputation for eight years at Raj Bhavan.
(Raj Bhavan is the official residence of the governor of an Indian state.)
On Friday, Ministers V Sivankutty and Muhammad Riyaz had visited the Raj Bhavan with the customary Onam gift of garments (Onakkodi) and invited the Governor for Onam celebrations. The next day, the aforementioned four orders were issued.
Chief Secretary Dr V Venu, who called on the Governor on Monday, also presented him an ‘Onakodi’. He invited Khan for the feast (Onamsadhya) that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will host for the members of the Assembly on August 26. (The CM won’t be in the state capital on the day as he is slated to attend a programme at Thrikkakara in Ernakulam. Last-minute changes in the programme cannot be ruled out. )
Khan chose to accept the invitation this year even though the Left Government had ignored the Governor for the flag off of the Onam procession last year.
Earlier sops
Early this year, the Government had sanctioned Rs 30 lakh extra for the Governor’s air travel. Later, the government sanctioned Raj Bhawan's demand for Rs 75 lakh grant for setting up an e-office after the Finance Ministry refused nod first. The Chief Minister’s Office too later sat on this file as the ties between the Government and the Governor frayed. A favourable decision on the demand was taken belatedly when the Government wanted Governor's assent to important bills passed by the Assembly.
The permission to buy a Benz car for Governor was granted after Khan objected to pensions to former personal staff of ministers.
No case against Governor for now
Meanwhile, the State Government has decided not to rush with any legal action against the Governor despite getting legal advice to do so after Khan refused to sign 10 bills passed by the assembly. On his part, the Governor too had adopted a stance that he would send the bill to the President in the event of the state authorities approaching the court.