Kollam: In a fresh tussle between the Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Vijayan has criticized Khan's surprise visit to Kozhikkode's SM Street and accused him of violating the government protocol. “While holding such a responsible position Governor is bound to keep the decorum. His act of visiting SM street without informing the authorities or police is not a good practice or model,” CM Vijayan said.
The Kerala Chief Minister said that by his surprise visit, Arif Mohammed Khan “proves to the entire country that Kerala is safe and the law and order situation is stable here”. “There is not much places in the country other than Kerala where one governor can walk without any notice," claimed the chief minister.
Vijayan also justified the protest against the governor by the student activists. "Those who protested against the Governor were not Goondas or criminals but our future probables. They were questioning the wrongdoings of the governor in the higher education field. This is the peculiarity of Kerala and the strength of democracy. We don't know what was there in the Governor's mind .That he only can reveal," the Chief Minister said while referring to Khan's remarks about Kannur.
The war of words between the Governor and the Chief minister escalated after Khan was recently stopped by angry protesters en route Thiruvananthapuram airport. CM Vijayan said that Khan had called protesters “rascals and criminals. The Kerala Chief Minister called the Governor a “deranged man” accusing him of “saffronising educational institutions” in Kerala “with the connivance of the Centre”.
The Chief Minister however clarified that “whether Governor likes it or not the state police will ensure his protection in future also and there will not be any kind of curtailing of security to Governor”.
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