Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
Kerala’s guv hits out at CM over smuggling case
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The raging tussle between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala and governor Arif Mohammad Khan escalated further on Thursday, with latter raising the gold smuggling controversy to target chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accusing his office of “patronising illegal activities” in the state.
Talking to reporters in Delhi, Khan said though he has never interfered earlier, the alleged patronising of smuggling activities by the chief minister’s office and people close to the CM are grounds enough for him to step in now. “I have never interfered. But now I see all smuggling activities are patronised by the office of the chief minister’s office. Now books are being written. People sitting in the CMO dictate to Kannur University VC to appoint their relatives — underqualified and unqualified,” he said.
The governor also rejected allegations of interference in appointments in state’s universities levelled against him by LDF leaders. At a convention in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, Vijayan and other LDF leaders attacked the governor by alleging that he was trying to implement the agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in state universities. “He is trying to undermine the progress in the higher education sector and trying to implement the saffron agenda,” Vijayan said at the event. “He wants to form a parallel government but we will oppose it strongly.”
Khan offered to resign if the chief minister could show one example of his interference in appointment of varsity vice chancellors. “When you make such a serious charge against me, you have to substantiate it,” he said.
“They (Left government, CM) are saying I am doing this (action against VCs) to bring RSS people. If I have nominated even one person, not just of RSS, any person, on my own using my authority, then I will resign,” said Khan. “Will he (CM) be able to resign if he is not able to approve his oftrepeated charges?”
He also rejected the LDF leaders’ allegation that he was a nominee of the RSS. “If I point out serious lapses in varsities, how can I become RSS overnight. I cannot be a silent spectator to illegal appointments,” he said.
The gold smuggling case surfaced in July 2020 and has since witnessed several twists and turns. It came to light after 30kg of gold was seized from a baggage from the United Arab Emirates consulate in Thiruvananthapuram by the sleuths of Customs department.