Pinarayi Vijayan skips the ‘At Home’ event amid tension with the governor of Kerala
On Friday, state officials including Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister of Kerala, and state governor Arif Mohammad Khan attended a banquet dubbed “At Home” in honor of the 75th Republic Day.
Dr. V Venu, Kerala’s chief secretary, and Dr. Shaik Darvesh Saheb, the director general of police (DGP), did not attend the VVIP function. On behalf of the government, KR Jyothilal, Principal Secretary, General Administration Department, was present at the function.
Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan attended the Republic Day festivities at Central Stadium earlier in the day. But the two did not say hello to one another.
In the midst of a dispute with the Kerala administration, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan read just the last paragraph of his government-prepared policy speech before the state Assembly session on Thursday, January 25.
He also made a jab at the government in his address, stating that “higher education institutions should be autonomous and free from outside interference”.
Additionally, he said that group rivalries and internal power struggles should not have an impact on cooperative federalism and governance as a community.
In his speech, he said that “it requires support from all stakeholders, including the states of the union.”
Notably, the governor and the state administration have disagreed on a number of matters, including nominations and outstanding legislation.
