Thiruvananthapuram: Triggering a major political row, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan Monday accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of conspiring to hurt him physically.
Khan claimed that 'goondas at the direction of CM Vijayan' attempted to hurt him physically when he was on his way to Kerala airport to board a flight to Delhi. Khan's scathing accusation came after his vehicle was allegedly hit by activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI(M), while he was on his way to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to leave for Delhi.
Visuals from the spot showed miscreants carrying flags and surrounding and hitting Khan's cavalcade. When the governor stopped the vehicle, the police and his security personnel formed a protective cordon for the governor. A visibly furious Governor got out of his car and told the media that it was CM Vijayan who 'conspired' to send people to hurt him physically. Khan also claimed that the constitutional machinery appeared to be collapsing in the state.
"I cannot allow the criminals, the goondas to rule the road...They are hitting my car," Khan told the media. He also said that the 'attack' was a "part of the conspiracy" by the Chief Minister to deal with him and he did not blame the poor policemen who were obliged to obey the orders of the CM.