Kerala : The ‘At Home’ reception hosted by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on the occasion of the 75th Republic Day saw a notable absence of the state’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, and his council of ministers, signaling a deepening of the rift between them. Despite invitations extended to Vijayan, cabinet ministers, and MLAs, none attended the event held from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
The only representative from the government was KR Jyothilal, the Principal Secretary of the General Administration Department, as both the chief secretary and the state director general of police also stayed away.
Earlier in the day, both Vijayan and Khan were present at the Republic Day celebrations at Central Stadium but did not exchange greetings, highlighting the strained relations between them. Governor Khan, in his address at the event, emphasized the importance of maintaining the autonomy of higher education institutions and called for cooperation among all stakeholders, including the states, in the spirit of cooperative federalism.
This latest development follows Khan’s abrupt conclusion of his budget session speech in the Kerala assembly the previous day, where he read only the final paragraph of the prepared speech, lasting just a few minutes. Despite being welcomed by the chief minister upon arrival, there was no exchange of pleasantries between them. Khan’s actions underscored the ongoing feud between the governor and the Left government, with disagreements over various issues, including the functioning of higher educational institutes and the signing of certain bills passed by the assembly.
The friction between the governor and the state government has also led to widespread protests across Kerala, primarily from CPI(M), its youth wing DYFI, and student outfit SFI.
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