Thiruvananthapuram: The news on Thiru Onam is that Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has not been invited by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to grace the customary celebrations that signal the end of the Onam festivities.
The protocol is that the Governor and his family are the guest of honour to witness the impressive colourful procession that passes through the heart of the state capital.
Consequently, Khan has drawn up his own plans and after a customary get together with his staff and his invited guests at the Raj Bhavan on Sunday, he left for Kochi; and the next day, he is arriving at the tribal hamlet at Attapadi in Palakkad where he would be with the tribal community.
Sources reveal that Khan was waiting to schedule his trip accordingly, but with the customary invite failing to arrive at the Raj Bhavan, he chalked out his own plans.
With this it has become clear that Vijayan, another tough political master is in no way to relent after Khan pulled the rug under his carpet when he refused to give the green signal to the appointment of Vijayan’s private secretary’s wife in a teaching post at the Kannur University.
Another contentious issue which is expected to surface is what Khan will do with the Bill that has been passed by the Kerala Assembly early this month over the tweaking of the powers of the Kerala Lokayukta.
It remains to be seen if he will ink this Bill, even as he has expressed his strong reservations that he is not one who will sign every paper that comes before him.
Trouble first broke out between the two, in August, when Khan refused to sign the repromulgation of the Ordinances tweaking powers of Lokayukta, forcing the Vijayan government to call a special assembly session to float the Bill.
So as matters stand, on Thiru Onam, the most important day in Onam festivities, things are not well between the Governor and Chief Minister and all eyes are on who will have the last laugh.
–IANS
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