THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The governor is collaborating with the government and is facilitating all its illegal activities, said opposition leader V D Satheesan. The opposition had protested during Governor Arif Mohammad Khan’s policy address which marked the beginning of the budget session. They raised slogans as the governor entered the house and soon boycotted the assembly.

We tried to present three important issues in the assembly. The governor, in violation of section 10 of the Kannur University Act, had cancelled the search committee which was assigned for the appointment of the vice chancellor and thereby yielded to the government’s pressure for the re-appointment of the vice chancellor. He signed the Lokayukta ordinance which will completely destroy the state’s anti-corruption system. When the Lokayukta Act was passed in 1999, it was sent for the president’s approval. Despite opposition’s demands that the Lokayukta ordinance be sent to the president for approval, the governor conspired with the government and signed it. Even though there was an understanding that the assembly would convene on February 18, the government and the governor deliberately delayed the decision to convene the assembly. The two have insulted the legislature by signing the ordinance a day before the decision to convene the assembly was taken.

For the past few days, the governor has been acting as an agent of the ruling BJP and Sangh Parivar. He is protecting the interests of the Sangh Parivar. He demanded the appointment of a BJP leader as his personal staff and the government collaborated with it. Things are moving in such a way that it confirms our claims of a ‘give and take’ between the governor and the government. The governor had taken an unconstitutional decision, last day. He tried to threaten the government by refusing to sign the policy address document and deliver the policy address. The government yielded to the governor’s undue pressure, while he had the constitution obligation to present the policy address passed by the cabinet in the assembly. The government surrendered to the governor, placing the head of the General Administration Department (GAD) secretary on a silver platter. It should be clarified whether the GAD secretary's dissatisfaction with the decision to appoint a BJP state leader in the Raj Bhavan, was with the permission of the government. The chief minister should state whether he had expressed the government’s dissatisfaction in the file. We need to know whether the GAD secretary can express dissatisfaction in an appointment to the governor’s personal staff, without being told by the chief minister. The chief minister should answer these two questions. We think that the GAD secretary expressed dissatisfaction as part of the chief minister’s decision. When the governor exerted pressure, the GAD secretary became the scapegoat. The chief minister has the responsibility to clarify these matters, said V D Satheesan.