Thiruvananthapuram: Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has accused Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of prohibiting government officials from visiting him since he sought an explanation into the various allegations that surfaced in the wake of P V Anvar's dissent.
“The chief minister does not come to the Raj Bhavan, and he does not allow the Chief Secretary or the DGP to come either,” Governor Khan told journalists in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.
The Governor also claimed that Pinarayi failed to respond to his letter for almost a month. “I wrote to the chief minister on September 10, but he did not acknowledge my letter or provide a reply. After 27 days, on October 8, he only responded after I summoned the Chief Secretary. This is not a routine administrative matter but a serious issue,” Khan said.
He claimed that this was because the chief minister had something to hide. “We know his own (political) secretary (P Sasi) was involved in the gold smuggling case. If there is nothing to hide, why is he refusing to acknowledge my concerns?” the Governor asked.
Governor Khan produced copies of the explanation letter the chief minister reportedly sent him. He said the letter was full of contradictions. “On the first page, the chief minister says he did not mention any anti-national activities to the media. Yet, in the same letter, he clearly refers to gold smuggling as an activity that jeopardises the national economy and even called it a crime against the nation in a press briefing,” Khan said.
The Governor added that he was duty-bound to report, to the President, activities concerning the security and integrity of the country. He said he would pursue the matter by seeking information from state officials.