Narendra Modi government has rewarded veteran Uttar Pradesh politician Arif Mohammed Khan, who has been a staunch supporter of the Triple Talaq Bill, by anointing him as the Kerala governor.
He will replace P Sathashivam, who completed ve years in office on August 31.
Khan began his political career at the age of 26. Since then, he changed political loyalties many times. He started with Bharatiya Kranti Dal, before moving to the Congress, Janata Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party and BJP.
He was a tall Muslim leader in Congress and held portfolios such as energy and civil aviation. He had quit from Rajiv Gandhi's Cabinet in 1986 after the government decided to bring in a legislation in the Parliament to overturn the Supreme Court verdict in the Shah Bano case.
He had joined BJP in 2004. However, he quit the party three years later, alleging that the party ignored him.
He has been a vocal supporter of the Triple Talaq Bill, brought in by the Narendra Modi government. Modi had even quoted Khan's statement - 'It was not the job of the Congress party to reform Muslims. If they want to lie in the gutter, let them be' - in his speech on the Motion of Thanks in the Lok Sabha in June this year.
Arif Mohammed Khan on Sunday stressed the need to devise long term strategies to overcome the deluge, which had devastated the state and claimed several lives.
"We need to think and devise long term strategies on how to overcome the deluge", Khan told reporters in New Delhi.
He expressed concern at the devastation caused by the floods in the state for the second consecutive year.
Kerala had witnessed floods and landslides which claimed 125 lives mainly in Wayanad and Malappuram districts during the heavy rains which lashed the state since August 8 in the second spell of the South West Monsoon.
Last year, over 400 people had lost their lives in the floods.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday called and congratulated the newly appointed state Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.
"He has an exemplary career in public life, and we sincerely hope to work together for the development of the state.
On behalf of the people of Kerala, We warmly welcome him to our state", Vijayan said in a Facebook post.
Other governors
President Ram Nath Kovind appointed ve new governors, including Khan, on Sunday.
Tamil Nadu BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan has been appointed as Telangana governor, while Himachal Pradesh governor Kalraj Mishra has been transferred and appointed as the Rajasthan Governor. Former Union minister Bandaru Dattaraya will take up Mishra's position.
Bhagat Singh Koshyari is the new Maharashtra Governor.
