Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala takes pride in its high standards of literacy and the way the people carry themselves, but of late, the state has been shamed by the outbursts of Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan.
For a while now, Vijayan has come under attack from both, Khan and Satheesan.
In fact the Governor had directly leveled the charge that Vijayan was conspiring to physically harm him and was using the student and youth wing cadres of the CPI(M) for that purpose.
What has shocked everyone is the language that the executive head of State, the head of the Government and the Leader of Opposition use to take on one another.
Vijayan, of late has been stating often that Satheesan must undergo treatment for mental issues and it’s because of his unstable mind that he is leveling baseless charges against him.
Satheesan hit back in the same vein last week when he said that the Cabinet Ministers on a statewide bus tour with Vijayan must ensure that he gets a particular medicine that his family usually gives him daily and which he seems not to be getting on the trip.
Khan and Vijayan have also been at loggerheads for a while and Khan was livid when the Chief Minister defended the student and youth wing of the party who waylaid the Governor while he was on his way to the airport, early this month. An angry Khan stopped his car and was seen openly challenging the protesters to come and attack him.
While on a visit to Kozhikode also Khan came under duress from the same group and after that the Governor said that Vijayan was behind the group that was conspiring to physically harm him.
This must be the first time that the Governor of a state has charged a Chief Minister of trying to physically harm him.
Reacting to this Vijayan said, “It was not criminals or goons but students, who are the future of our country, who are challenging his objectionable decisions as the chancellor. It is a democratic form of resistance which also reflects the distinctive spirit of Kerala.”
Veteran civil rights activist and top Malayalam Professor MN Karassery said it was a matter of concern the way the top leaders in Kerala were talking about one another.
“The language that’s being used by these leaders is in no way acceptable. All acceptable limits have been crossed. It doesn’t augur well for them and the sooner they change their style, the better for them,” he said.
Now all eyes are on Friday, when both Khan and Vijayan come together for the swearing-in of two State Ministers at the official residence of the Governor, which will be the first time the two come face to face in a long time.
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