THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an extraordinary move that drew flak from various corners, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has shot off a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan conveying that Finance Minister K N Balagopal has ceased to enjoy his “pleasure”. However, the action, at variance with all principles of democracy, doesn’t have any bearing on Balagopal’s continuance in office, experts say.
Accusing Balagopal of making “seditious remarks” and seeking “to stoke the fire of regionalism and provincialism,” Khan, in his letter on Tuesday, asked the CM to take action which is “constitutionally appropriate”. Pinarayi deftly defended his cabinet colleague and told the governor on Wednesday that the minister’s speech didn’t invite any action.
Legal experts say the sedition charge raised by the governor against the minister is “his opinion alone”. The doctrine of pleasure granted by the constitution doesn’t mean the governor can act at his whims and fancies while exercising his discretionary powers. The chief minister has the final call on the issue, they said.
The Opposition UDF, which was a divided house on the tussle between the government and the governor on the vice-chancellor issue, sided with the government this time, with Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan urging the CM to dismiss Khan’s letter with “utter contempt”. Other UDF and Congress leaders also echoed Satheesan’s statement with IUML general secretary P K Kunhalikutty saying there is an elected government in Kerala, and the state will not recognise the governor’s rule. RSP leader Shibu Baby John said the governnor’s mental state should be examined by a specialist doctor.
In his letter, the governor said statements of Balagopal criticising him was nothing short of violation of the oath that he had administered to the minister. “A minister who deliberately violates the oath and undermines the unity and integrity of India cannot continue to enjoy my pleasure,” he said.
Khan quoted media reports on Balagopal’s speech in which he said, “some people who are accustomed to the practices in places like Uttar Pradesh might not be able to understand the democratic nature in which universities function in Kerala.” The governor said if such remarks are allowed to go unchecked, they may have “erosive and baneful influence on our national unity and integrity.”
“The remarks of Balagopal seek to create a wedge between Kerala and other states of the Indian union and project a false impression as if different states of India have different systems of higher education,” the governor said, adding if such remarks are allowed to go unchecked, they may have “erosive and baneful influence on our national unity and integrity.”