The war of words between Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the allegations that surfaced following statements by rebel MLA PV Anvar continued on Friday. The Governor stated that the reply given by the CM on the gold smuggling issue is full of contradictions.
Speaking to the media, Governor Khan said he did not understand the explanation in the Chief Minister’s letter, describing it as “full of contradictions.”
Governor Khan pointed out that the Chief Minister, in his letter, stated he did not claim that anti-national forces are operating in the state.
However, in the same letter, he mentioned that gold smuggling in the state is a crime against the country, highlighting a contradiction between these statements, added Khan.
The Governor, who expressed deep resentment towards the Chief Minister’s decision not to send the State Police Chief and the Chief Secretary to the Raj Bhavan when summoned for an explanation on the recent allegations against the government, read the contents of the Chief Minister’s letter to the media.
Governor Khan asserted that the Chief Minister has something to hide, which is why he restrained the Chief Secretary and the State Police Chief from coming to the Raj Bhavan.
“I say it again. The Chief Minister is not coming to the Raj Bhavan, nor is he allowing others to come because he has something to hide. We all know that three years ago, his own secretary was arrested in a gold smuggling case. Something is suspicious. Otherwise, why is he preventing the officials from coming to the Raj Bhavan?” Governor Khan said.
The Governor emphasized that anti-national activity is a serious matter, and he would report it to the President.
Taking a firm stance on the Chief Secretary and the State Police Chief ignoring his summons to visit the Raj Bhavan, the Governor stated that henceforth, the Chief Secretary and state police should not come to the Raj Bhavan.
On Thursday, the Governor accused Chief Minister Vijayan of failing to inform him about gold smuggling activities in the state.
“If a serious crime is occurring, the government should notify me. It took over 20 days to receive an explanation from the Chief Minister,” he said.
Governor Khan summoned the Chief Secretary and the Police Chief after the Chief Minister did not respond to his earlier letter.
In that letter, the Governor requested a report from Chief Minister Vijayan regarding his controversial statements made during a national media interview, in which he alleged that money from gold smuggling is being used for anti-national activities.