New Delhi: The ongoing tussle between Kerala Governor and the ruling Left government in the state escalated on Thursday, November 3, with Arif Mohammed Khan alleging that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's office "patronises" smuggling activities.

Khan and the state government are at loggerheads over a number of issues including the appointment of vice-chancellors as well as various bills passed by the state assembly pending in the Raj Bhavan.

Last month the Governor had through a communication asked all V-Cs of state universities to resign, prompting backlash from the state government and a high court order allowing the V-Cs to remain in position. He then wrote to Vijayan, seeking, implicitly, to oust state finance minister K.N. Balagopal over comments by the latter. Vijayan is learned to have shot the demand down.

This time, the Governor offered to resign if "even one example of his interference in appointment to the varsity Vice-Chancellors" could be shown.

He was responding to reporters when his response was sought on Vijayan's allegations against him on Wednesday at a convention in Thiruvananthapuram. Vijayan had said the Governor was trying to make universities in the state centres of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Sangh Parivar. Khan is trying to implement the saffronisation agenda of these groups, Vijayan said.

"They are saying I am doing this [action against V-Cs] to bring in RSS people. If I have nominated even one person, not just of RSS, any person, on my own, using my authority, then I will resign. Will he [CM] be able to resign if he is not able to prove it? I am asking you," he said, speaking to reporters in New Delhi.

Alleging that the Chief Minister's Office was encouraging smuggling activities in the state, he contended that in such a situation there were grounds for him to interfere.

"I have never interfered. But now I see all smuggling activities are patronised by the office of the Chief Minister (CMO). Now books are being written. People sitting in the CMO dictate Kannur University VC to appoint their relatives – underqualified and unqualified. I have never interfered."

"But if the state government, the CMO and the people close to CM are involved in smuggling activities, definitely there are grounds for me to interfere," he said.

Khan also openly challenged the chief minister, asking whether he would be able to resign if he was unable to prove or substantiate his allegation.

"When you make such a serious charge against me, you have to substantiate the same," Khan added.

(With PTI inputs)

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