Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan slams Guv Arif Mohammed Khan for staging roadside protest
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticized Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday for staging a roadside sit-in protest in Kollam district.
After Student Federation of India (SFI) members showed black flags at the Governor's convoy, Arif Khan, stepped out of his vehicle, took a chair from a nearby tea shop, and started a sit-in on the roadside.
Arif Khan accused police of neglecting to intervene when SFI workers staged a protest with black flags.
Expressing scepticism, about whether the CRPF would comply with Khan's desires, the Chief Minister questioned the Governor's complaint that the "police is not acting according to his ways."
Vijayan said, "Nobody is above the law."
This situation unfolded against the backdrop of a constant conflict between the Pinarayi Vijayan government and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.
SFI activists have been engaged in protests against the Kerala Governor, asserting that he has been promoting "BJP-RSS nominees" to university senates in Kerala through his role as the Chancellor of universities in the state.
"He asked a question about how protests against the Chief Minister are handled. I have travelled many times, but have I ever got down to ensure that the route is fine for me to travel?" Vijayan said.
Vijayan questioned if the Governor’s roadside protest was against the security protocol.
“He knows that the police would ensure that the route is fine for the person to travel when there are protests. Have we ever seen anyone coming out of their vehicle to check what action is taken against the protestors?" he was quoted as saying by India Today.
The Governor had asked the police to not accompany him to Kozhikode, the CM questioned, "As the head of the state and the most protected person, is he suggesting it is not required?"
Criticizing the Governor for holding a protest on the road, Pinarayi Vijayan said, "Has Kerala or India ever seen a person holding a high position behaving like this?" Vijayan said.
He described the Governor's choice to only read the last paragraph of the policy address in the Assembly as an "insult to the state and the Constitution." The Chief Minister remarked, "He claims to have no time to read the policy address, yet dedicates one and a half hours to stage a sit-in protest on the roadside."
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