Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Friday intensified his attack on the ruling Left government by accusing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of keeping him in the dark about ‘crimes against the nation’ being committed in the state.
The Governor also said that the chief secretary and the DGP were coming regularly to Raj Bhavan, “without authorisation from the chief minister” and now, “no more will they be welcome”.
Khan, speaking to reporters here, said that the CM, while denying having used the terms ‘anti-national activities’ and ‘anti-state activities’ in any public statements, has conceded that he generally mentioned ‘crimes against the nation’ were committed in the state.
“My duty is to ensure no anti-national activities take place in the state. I have to inform the President about such activities. But, he (CM) is keeping me in the dark, when he is supposed to be briefing me on matters concerning the security of the nation,” Khan claimed.
He contended that the CM was “indulging in untruths for political purposes” and his actions indicate that “he has something to hide”.
Khan said he has authority to act if anti-national activities are going on in the state and added, “soon you will come to know if I have authority or not”.
His latest attack on the CM comes a day after he accused Vijayan of “silence, inaction and inordinate delay” on his request for information regarding alleged anti-national and anti-state activities going on in the state.
Khan on Tuesday had made the scathing accusation following a letter by the CM stating that officials cannot be summoned by the Governor without informing the elected government.
The CM’s letter was referring to Khan seeking a briefing from Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan and DGP Shaik Darvesh Saheb regarding recent reported remarks by Vijayan that groups are smuggling gold into the state and using the proceeds for ‘anti-national activities’.
Khan had also sought a briefing from them regarding the phone-tapping allegations involving police officials.
Following the CM’s letter, both the chief secretary and the DGP had not met the Governor.
Displeased by the development, Khan in his letter to the CM had said that “a government shying away from its constitutional duty of providing information to the Governor on grave matters like anti-national activities and treating the request of the Governor as a routine administrative matter, stands the risk of being viewed as acting against constitutional provisions and constitutional morality.”
