Kerala Governor accuses Left govt of being extravagant, breaching constitutional provisions

PTI, Nov 5, 2023, 5:35 PM IST

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Sunday lashed out at the Left government, which has moved the Supreme Court over his not signing of certain bills, by calling it ”extravagant” and accusing it of breaching constitutional provisions.

Khan, speaking to reporters, accused the state government of wasting money after it claimed before the Kerala High Court that it was in bad shape financially.

”The government is going to the High Court and saying it is in bad shape. But we will indulge in festivities, in extravaganzas and we will waste money.

”You are building swimming pools for personal use, when you are not able to pay the pension of people who have spent their lives serving the state,” he alleged.

On reporters raising queries regarding his not signing of certain bills passed by the Kerala assembly, Khan asked whether the bills for appointing individual Vice Chancellors to each university would incur some expenditure.

He said that the state government was putting the responsibility of appointing VCs on the universities.

But the varsities get funds from the state and the Centre, Khan said.

Therefore, every bill which has a provision for expenditure ”becomes a money bill and it cannot be placed before the assembly without the Governor’s approval,” he claimed.

State Industries Minister P Rajeev refuted this claim of the Governor.

Rajeev said the Kerala Assembly Speaker decides whether a piece of legislation is a money bill or not.

”These (the bills regarding appointment of VCs) are not money bills at all,” he said.

The minister also said that the bills passed by the legislature should not be withheld indefinitely and the Governor could have sent the bills back to the assembly pointing out his concerns.

On Khan being told by reporters that the state government had moved the Supreme Court against his not signing bills, he said he will give his response to the notice that he will get from the apex court and not to the media.

The government, a few days ago, had said that it moved the Supreme Court against Khan not signing certain bills passed by the state legislature as he was not discharging his constitutional duties.

The bills to which Khan has withheld assent include the Lok Ayukta Amendment Bill and two different University Laws Amendment Bills.

Speaking to reporters, Khan also claimed that the Governor was part of the legislature according to the Constitution and the Kerala assembly was passing resolutions on subjects which are not its constitutional responsibility without informing him.

”They are breaching every convention. The elected government does not mean you violate provisions of the Constitution or that you breach the constitutional conventions,” he contended.

He also alleged that there was a provision that the Governor had to be briefed about everything, but he got to know about the Keraleeyam 2023 event through newspapers.

”There is such a big event taking place in Kerala and I came to know of it only through newspapers,” he said.

Regarding the Keraleeyam event, Rajeev said that it has witnessed huge public participation despite it being criticised and opposed by some political parties.