THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after Governor Arif Mohammed Khan rejected the state government’s request to convene a special session of the assembly to pass a resolution against the Centre’s farm laws, the UDF MLAs gathered outside the complex and condemned his move.
Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Oommen Chandy said the state government must enact a legislation as passing a resolution against the farm laws by the assembly alone will not suffice.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala later shot off a letter to the chief minister demanding a legislation to override the Centre’s farm laws.
Chandy criticised the LDF government for not accepting Chennithala’s proposal to Law Minister A K Balan, after the governor refused to call the House session, that all legislators should converge at the Sankaranarayanan Thampi Member’s Lounge and pass a resolution against the Centre’s farm laws.
The UDF’s parliamentary party leaders who gathered outside the assembly condemned the governor’s action.
“The Governor has no right to reject the proposal of a state government which enjoys majority. The governor has taken a wrong stand against the state government which should have been condemned. However, the government’s soft stand shows that it is scared of something. The governor should be acting within the constitutional powers,” said Chandy.
In the letter, the Opposition leader urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take a leaf out of the move by the Punjab and Chhattisgarh governments and introduce a Bill to override the Centre’s farm laws when the assembly convenes on January 8.