The already fraught government-Raj Bhavan ties plummeted to a new and startlingly dramatic nadir late on Monday with Students Federation of India (SFI) activists allegedly attempting to “waylay” Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on his way to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.
Mr. Khan, not always a stickler for protocol, surprisingly stepped out of the car and accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of orchestrating a bid to “harm me physically”.
Governor lashes out at CPI(M)
An irate Mr. Khan also painted a grim picture of the State’s law and order situation, alleging that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] “criminals” ruled the roads.
“The bloody criminals banged on my car. Will the police allow them to approach and hit CM’s car? CM is hatching this conspiracy to harm me physically as he did in Kannur. I cannot enable goons to rule the roads. When the CM is party to this conspiracy, what can the police do? Mr. Khan said.
Earlier, Mr. Khan had interpreted heckling by Left activists during his speech at the Indian History Congress hosted by Kannur University in 2019 as a “bid on his life”. He accused Mr. Vijayan of “harbouring” the CPI(M) leader who allegedly abetted the “attempt on his life” in the Chief Minister’s Office. Mr. Khan warned the government against “threatening or scaring” him.
The high-voltage political theatre that riveted the State unfolded near Pettah. SFI activists, protesting Mr. Khan’s alleged attempt to stack State-funded varsities with Sangh Parivar nominees, split into different groups and waved black flags at Mr. Khan’s motorcade as it proceeded under heavy police escort from the Raj Bhavan to the airport.
At Pettah, the SFI activists trespassed on the carriageway, forcing Mr. Khan’s car to halt momentarily. A grainy mobile phone recording broadcast by news channels showed the activists mobbing Mr Khan’s car.
The incident echoed strongly in the State’s political domain and elicited criticism from the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Black day
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president termed it a black day marked by the breakdown of law and order.
Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan said the SFI would only waylay the Governor with Mr Vijayan’s approval. BJP State President K. Surendran said his party would defend Mr. Khan from “CPI(M) violence”.
