Kerala Guv flags speech by FM, wants him 'fired'

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has written to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking “constitutionally appropriate” action against Finance Minister KN Balagopal for making a speech “undermining unity”, a demand turned down by the CM.

“I am left with no option but to convey a minister who deliberately violates the oath and undermines the unity and integrity of India cannot continue in office,” the Governor said.

He expressed hope the CM would “consider the matter with seriousness it deserves and take action which is constitutionally appropriate”.

While this indicates an indirect way to ask the CM to sack the minister, Vijayan shot back a letter to the Governor, rejecting his demand, an official source said. The CM reiterated his trust in Balagopal, saying it remained “undiminished”. In his letter, the Governor did not explicitly seek the removal of Balagopal from the LDF cabinet, but it seemed to be the essence of his communication. A highly placed source said in his response, Vijayan said from a constitutional perspective and factoring in the democratic conventions and traditions of the country, the statement could not warrant a ground for cessation of enjoyment of the Governor’s pleasure. The Governor would appreciate that no further action needed to be taken in the matter, Vijayan said, according to the source.

In his letter to the Chief Minister, the Governor alleged Balagopal delivered a speech at a university here on October 18, seeking to “stoke the fire of regionalism and provincialism and undermining the unity of India”. Meanwhile, both ruling CPI(M) and Congress criticised Khan. The Marxist party alleged Khan was trying to implement the “BJP-RSS agenda” while the Congress said his demand should be dismissed with “due contempt”.