The governor was in Kozhikode to attend a wedding on Sunday when the members of Students’ Federation of India (SFI), a student wing of CPM allegedly put up banners outside the university guest house where he was staying that read “Sanghi chancellor, go back”.
Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Sunday slammed chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleging that he gave orders to put black banners against him inside the campus of Calicut University.
The governor was in Kozhikode to attend a wedding on Sunday when the members of Students’ Federation of India (SFI), a student wing of CPM allegedly put up banners outside the university guest house where he was staying that read “Sanghi chancellor, go back”.
In a statement, the Raj Bhavan said the banners against the governor were placed inside the Calicut University campus “by the police at the behest of the chief minister.”
“The black banners and posters have been placed inside the campus, just outside the University guest house where the governor is staying. Governor feels that this cannot happen without the direction of the chief minister and that this clearly is the beginning of the collapse of the constitutional machinery in the state. He said that such deliberation actions of the chief minister precipitate the breakdown of constitutional machinery,” the statement said.
Later on Sunday evening, the Malappuram district police chief ordered officers to bring down the banners as the governor looked on. “Would you allow such banners to be hung if the chief minister had been staying in the guest house here?” the Governor was heard asking the police chief.
However, minutes after the banners were brought down, they were again propped up by the SFI activists who vowed to continue their agitation against Governor Khan.
Meanwhile, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan earlier on Sunday hit out at the governor for using crude language against student protesters and allegedly creating provocation on issues concerning the state.
“It has reached a point where the governor is saying whatever comes to his mind. He seems to forget that he is the governor of the state and the country is watching his actions,” said CM Vijayan.
CM Vijayan’s remarks came in response to reporters’ queries at a press conference in Pathanamthitta on the side of the Nava Kerala Sadas, the outreach programme of the LDF government.
The chief minister claimed that the protests against the governor by student outfits including SFI came in response to his decisions about the nomination of persons connected to the RSS as members of the university senate.
“The problem is that the qualification of such persons is solely that they are linked to the RSS. Students are protesting against such actions. But, how can someone holding the Governor’s office use such crude language against the protesting students? He was earlier a politician. How can someone like that use words like ‘bloody’, ‘criminals’, and ‘goondas’ for protestors? He has tried to create the maximum possible provocation on every issue,” the chief minister said.
Last week, governor Khan’s car was allegedly blocked and attacked by SFI activists while he was on his way to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Following the incident, the Governor claimed that the activists were ‘criminals’ who were ‘hired’ by the chief minister to attack him.
The CM on Sunday asked whether anyone would physically confront protesters holding black flags.
“Has anyone ever tried to physically confront or take on those waving black flags at them? And then he (Khan) boasts that they (protestors) ran away when he went towards them. Look how provocative his statements are. His actions and interventions are totally bereft of common sense,” Vijayan said.
Put black banners against me… Says CM…
