Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Wednesday asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan not to speak to him through the media and invited him to the Raj Bhavan.
“I invite the CM to Raj Bhavan as it’s not nice to speak through the media. I heard reports that two Ordinances I have not signed, but the fact is these Ordinances were received just two and a half weeks back,” said Khan.
“Let him come and after the doubts are cleared, I will not have any bias at all,” added Khan.
For a while now both CM Vijayan and Governor Khan are at loggerheads and have been taking on each other through the media.
To a question on the vacant posts of vice-chancellors in the Universities of the state, Khan said he was not responsible for it.
“I wrote three letters to the Kerala University to give their nominee to the selection panel, but they have not given. Then when I went ahead with a two-member selection panel, the High Court did not allow that. But now with the very recent Supreme Court directive, we have started the process to constitute the interview panel,” said Khan.
“They (those not cooperating by sending the University syndicate nominee) know that my term will end in a year and are waiting for that,” added Khan.
The Governor further added that he will not yield to any pressure again. He took the opinion of the Advocate General while reappointing the now ousted Kannur University vice chancellor Gopinath Ravindran.
“The highest legal body in the state which I have is the Advocate General. Nine times the OSD in the CM’s office and the legal expert came to my office with the need for the reappointment,” said Khan.
Khan was peeved at the manner in which CM Vijayan at a press meet took potshots at Governor Khan by saying that he took the decision not to sanction a dental clinic at the Raj Bhavan, as it was not required.
To this Khan said, “I feel sorry for such a statement made as it is a mean way. The dental clinic is not for me, but for the staff at the Raj Bhavan,” said Khan.
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