Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday came out against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan saying he is acting as if he is above the judiciary and is trying to supersede the powers of the legislature.
Speaking at a convention organised here against the moves of the Governor in the higher education , organised by Education Protection Committee, Chief minister Vijayan said that as the Chancellor, he has no special privilege under the constitution and has only the privilege according to the rules of the university.
He said the Chancellor’s position was created by the legislature under the Universities Laws, which also lays down the powers of that post
He said that the Governor is trying to use the power that is not vested in him, trying to create parallel government, wants ministers sacked,removing Senate and Syndicate members also giving instructions to the police
“ If someone thinks that it is he who can do all this, then those thoughts must be kept in the mind only,” said the CM
Stating that Governor should devote some time to think about the powers he has under the Constitution, CM Vijayan said it is under the aid and advice of the chief minister that the Governor appoints or removes ministers from the cabinet and not on his own . Governor Khan should keep that in mind, he added .
He alleged that the Governor is attempting to implement the Sangh Parivar agenda in the universities in the state
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has started the process to recover the salaries of the vice-chancellors who are facing action after the Supreme Court verdict declaring that the appointment of the VC of the APJ Abdul Kalam technological university was void ab initio
Raj Bhavan has sought legal advice regarding the recovery of the salary of vice-chancellors of eight universities in the state , it has been reported
On October 21, the Supreme Court termed the appointment of APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University VC Dr Rajasree MS as “void ab initio,” stating that it was not done as per the UGC regulations. Following this, the governor demanded the resignation of the VCs of 11 other universities claiming the verdict is applicable to them as well