Governor vs Chief Minister: The Policy Speech Controversy Unfolds in Kerala

A controversy erupted in the Kerala State Assembly after Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was accused by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of omitting key points from a policy speech. The Lok Bhavan defended the Governor, stating the speech was returned without suggested changes, leading to discrepancies in its delivery.

In a charged atmosphere at the Kerala State Assembly, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar's policy speech became the focal point of a heated debate. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accused the Governor of omitting vital sections of the address, which had included criticisms of the central government's fiscal policies and references to pending bills.

The Lok Bhavan swiftly countered the accusations, proclaiming the controversy as 'unnecessary and baseless.' They clarified that the Governor had suggested the removal of 'half-truths' from the draft but had received the same speech back without any amendments. Despite returning from Kozhikode late at night, the Governor delivered the speech as prepared by the government.

The issue of content deletion centered around the inaccurately stated involvement of the Supreme Court and references to economic federalism principles. The Lok Bhavan clarified that Kerala's financial struggles were due to denied advance funds. The Chief Minister highlighted specific paragraphs omitted or altered in contribution to this ongoing political tussle.

(With inputs from agencies.)