Kerala Guv will be criticised if he does not discharge his statutory duty, says LoP

He also needs to be criticised as he admitted he succumbed to state government pressure regarding Kannur VC reappointment and did something unlawful, the Congress leader said.Earlier in the day, the Governor termed as irresponsible and ignorant the statements that he had recommended conferring of Kerala Universitys honorary D.Litt on President Ram Nath Kovind.What I have to speak, I have spoken.

If the Governor does not discharge his statutory duty or follows an unlawful direction of the Kerala government, then his actions would be criticised, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said on Sunday.

Satheesan also clarified that he never said that the Governor cannot recommend conferring D.Litt on the President of India.

''I said that if he went out of the way and summoned the VC for this (conferring D.Litt on the President), then he has misused his official position. It (the recommendation) is not a secret to be whispered in the VC's ear. ''It should have been made as a proper proposal and then the VC would have had to put it up before the syndicate for a decision. However, it was not a proposal made as per the statutory law,'' the Leader of Opposition (LoP) told reporters here. Satheesan's remarks comes hours after Governor Arif Mohammed Khan stated that the President and Governor are considered as national institutions and under Article 51A of the Constitution, national institutions are to be respected.

Satheesan said the Governor was flayed when he agreed with an unlawful direction of the state government (to re-appoint the Kannur VC) and thereafter, he (Governor) had admitted that he made a mistake. ''However, instead of correcting the mistake by either seeking the VC's resignation or taking steps for his removal, the Governor said he will not continue as the Chancellor.

''That is unlawful.. If a Governor says he will not perform his statutory duties, should he not be criticised?'' Satheesan asked.

He further said that the Governor did not accept the Kerala High Court notice sent served to the chancellor on a plea challenging reappointment of the Kannur University VC as he would then have had to give an affidavit which would be contrary to the one he had given earlier to the high court supporting the VC reappointment.

''For that he needs to be criticised. He also needs to be criticised as he admitted he succumbed to state government pressure (regarding Kannur VC reappointment) and did something unlawful,'' the Congress leader said.

Earlier in the day, the Governor termed as ''irresponsible'' and ''ignorant'' the statements that he had recommended conferring of Kerala University's honorary D.Litt on President Ram Nath Kovind.

''What I have to speak, I have spoken. I am not going to respond to irresponsible statements. I cannot react to ignorant statements. I am not going to respond to statements made out of sheer ignorance,'' Khan said to reporters when asked whether he had made any recommendation to confer D.Litt on President Kovind.

His comments came in the wake of senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala levelling charges that the Left-front government had rejected the recommendation from the Governor to confer Kerala University's honorary D.Litt on the President and the subsequent statement by Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Satheesan that ''if the Governor had inappropriately recommended anyone's name for D.Litt, then it's illegal''.

Khan, who is at loggerheads with the state government over alleged political interference in the functioning of the universities, on December 30 had said he was even ready to transfer the powers of chancellor to the Higher Education Minister, who is also the pro-chancellor of the varsities.

The Governor had earlier also said he ceased to function as chancellor from December 8.

Attacking Khan, the opposition Congress had said that his stand not to continue as the chancellor of universities in the state was ''illegal'' and he was not supposed to ''talk like a child.'' PTI HMP ROH ROH