CM’s Malappuram remark: Governor to submit report to President, send another letter to State

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan is preparing to submit a report to the President regarding the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s alleged remarks about Malappuram in The Hindu newspaper. This move is part of officially bringing the matter to the attention of the central government. The Governor had earlier summoned the Chief Secretary and the DGP seeking an explanation on the matter, but the Chief Minister intervened to block it. The government holds the position that the Chief Secretary and others are not required to meet the Governor under the rules. However, the Governor argues that he has the authority to summon them as per the Rules of Business.

The Governor is expected to send another letter to the government on the issue. In a letter sent to the Chief Minister recently, the Governor had mentioned that the Chief Minister was hiding something regarding his Malappuram remark. The Governor pointed out in the letter that criminal activity cannot be concealed under the guise of technicalities and that he sought an explanation on the matter to brief the President. He also stated that the failure to provide the requested information would be considered a violation of the rules and a failure to fulfill constitutional responsibilities.

The government is considering whether to respond to the Governor’s letter this time. The Governor had asked the Chief Minister to clarify what the anti-national activities were and who the anti-nationals were The Chief Minister questioned on what grounds the Governor was summoning officials without the knowledge of the elected government. Pinarayi Vijayan had disowned the statements regarding Malappuram and on linking money from gold smuggling to anti-national activities after it had kicked up a row.