Flashpoint in Raj Bhavan-Left ties as Kerala governor wraps up policy speech in under 2 mins

Flashpoint in Raj Bhavan-Left ties as Kerala governor wraps up policy speech in under 2 mins

Chennai: Amid the frequent run-ins with the Pinarayi Vijayan government, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan cut his speech Thursday to read only the concluding paragraph from a 61-page policy address in the assembly.

Khan, who reached the assembly around 9 am, wrapped up his speech in less than two minutes. The assembly session was concluded for the day following the dramatic turn of events.

The governor began his address by saying that it was his honour and privilege to address the “august body of representatives of the people of Kerala”. He then announced that he was going to read the last paragraph of the speech and read:

“Let us remember that our greatest legacy lies not in buildings or monuments, but in the respect and regard we show to the priceless legacy of the Constitution of India and the timeless values of democracy, secularism, federalism and social justice. The essence of cooperative federalism is what has kept our country united and strong all these years. It is our bounden duty to ensure that this essence is not diluted. Together as part of this varied and beautiful nation, we will weave the tapestry of inclusive growth and responsible resilience, overcoming all the challenges that are thrown our way. Jai Hind.”

He then instructed the officials to play the national anthem, which was played a few minutes before his address.

#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan cuts short his speech and reads only the last paragraph while addressing the beginning of the Kerala Assembly budget session.

He says, “It is my honour to address this august body of the representatives of the… pic.twitter.com/u0Ony7TvtG

— ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2024

Khan didn’t greet the legislative members on his way out. He was seen in a serious demeanour earlier when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Speaker A. N. Shamseer greeted him at the doorstep of the assembly.

Notably, it was reported earlier that the governor approved the draft policy speech prepared by the Kerala government, creating an expectation that the commencement of this year’s Budget session will be without hurdles, unlike the previous years.

In 2023, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had to tone down its criticism against the Central government from the customary speech after Khan refused to read it. The previous year, he kept the suspense till the last minute by refusing to approve the speech.

Policy address contents

Had the Kerala governor read the entire speech, he would have had to repeat ‘my government’ 106 times. The speech, released by the assembly, hails the multiple initiatives of the LDF government such as Keraleeyam 2023 (which celebrated Kerala’s cultural heritage) and Nava Kerala Sadas, or ‘People’s Assembly for a New Kerala’, (an outreach programme covering all the 140 legislative segments where the CM and other ministers engaged with the public).

It also mentioned the launch of multiple projects such as the Kochi water metro, Vizhinjam International Seaport, and the Country’s first Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram.

The speech has veiled criticisms of the Centre and asserted that the state’s achievements come despite multiple challenges.

“My Government’s stupendous achievements have come about despite many formidable challenges confronting it. Paramount among these is the liquidity stress stemming from the vertical imbalance between the Union and the States in fiscal matters. The fact that the Union possesses a significantly greater capacity to mobilise resources compared to the States, while the States are mandated to undertake developmental expenditures that far surpass their revenue-generating capabilities points to a great asymmetry within India’s federal system. Over time, this has further intensified, constraining the fiscal position of the States,” the document read.

It added that Kerala saw a decline in its share of taxes devolved by the Union government from 3.88 percent during the 10th Finance Commission period (1995-2000) to a mere 1.92 per cent during the 15th Finance Commission period (2021-2026).

Before the concluding paragraph, the speech condemns “the crime of genocide and all crimes against humanity and wishes for an end to the cycle of death, destruction and despair that they engender.”

Frequent tussles

Since his appointment as the governor in 2019, Khan has been at loggerheads with the  Pinarayi Vijayan government.

In November, the government approached the Supreme Court against the Governor’s inaction, alleging that Khan hadn’t signed eight bills passed by the assembly. The top court came down heavily on the Governor in the matter and asked him why he was delaying the bills passed over two years ago.

Less than a month later, the tussle again made news when Khan alleged Vijayan’s hand in the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) burning his effigy in Kannur on the New Year’s eve.

According to the SFI, , the students wing of the CPI-M,, the protest was against the governor’s move to nominate Right-wing senates to the universities using his power as the chancellor. The effigy burning was a continuation of weeks-long protests by the SFI across Kerala. While the governor maintained his position on Vijayan’s involvement in the matter, the chief minister said Khan was attempting to destroy the peace by his statements.

The tug of war played out yet again at the swearing-in ceremony of two ministers, Ramachandran Kadannappalli and K. B. Ganesh Kumar, on 29 December last year. Throughout the ceremony which lasted over 30 minutes, both the governor and the CM ignored each other and did not shake hands.

(Edited by Tony Rai)