Senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar on Friday lambasted the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala over its tussles with Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. The former Union minister said the Left dispensation was attempting to "demean" and "denigrate" the constitutional post of the Governor and creating "constitutional anarchy" in the state.
‘Gherao completely undemocratic’
He said the Governor is a constitutional post and his roles, duties and powers are all well inscribed in the Constitution but the ruling CPI(M) is denying everything, refusing to recognise constitutional mechanism and does not recognise the powers of the Governor.
"The Governor is duty-bound and he is doing the same as the Constitution provides for. But, I wonder that the Chief Minister himself is calling the Governor names... This kind of demeaning of the Governor and the denigration of the constitutional post is never seen before," the BJP leader claimed at a press conference here.
Javadekar, also the Kerala Prabhari of the saffron party, criticised the ruling CPI(M) over its plan to stage an agitation in front of Raj Bhavan with the participation of over one lakh people and said the "gherao is completely undemocratic".
He further charged that General Education Minister V Sivankutty had threatened the Governor by reminding him of the assassination bid against erstwhile Travancore Diwan Sir C P Ramaswamy Iyer in 1947.
"Ramaswamy (Iyer) was Diwan that time and was a good administrator. Anarchists that time gave threat and attempt on his life. Sivankuttty is threatening the same thing...reminding him (Governor) of the 1947 incident. This is most condemnable," he said.
He also urged every lover of democracy to condemn the state minister's statement.
‘Govt trying to capture universities’
"You (government) are not following the UGC rules, that's the whole issue. And it is not designed to capture universities. You have already captured it... Spouses of K K Ragesh, M B Rajesh and A N Shamseer who took benefit," he said.
Ragesh is the private secretary of the Chief Minister, Rajesh is the Local Self-Government Minister while Shamseer is the Assembly Speaker.
"So, CPI(M) has the habit of capturing universities...creating narratives and intoxicating the youth of the country. That's what they did in JNU, Delhi University and other universities. They want to do this in Kerala also... People will give befitting replies to this," he added.
‘Well designed scam,’ Javadekar demands enquiry
The former Union minister also attacked the Vijayan government and the Marxist party over the controversial letter allegedly written by Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran to CPI(M) district secretary seeking priority list of party cadres to be appointed in temporary posts in the Left-ruled Corporation.
"The letter by the mayor is not an accident...it is not just a mistake...it is not just misuse... It is a well-designed scam," he charged.
The BJP leader further alleged that the letter exposed the CPI(M) of its design to give government employment only to its cadres, denying fair opportunities to 43 lakh unemployed youth of the southern state.
Charging that the ongoing Crime Branch inquiry into the letter row is just a "white-wash", he said as per their information, the hard disk of the computer in which the alleged letter was prepared has already been destroyed.
"We want an inquiry by a committee headed by a sitting High Court judge. We hope that the court will soon take suo moto cognisance of the whole scam," Javadekar said.
‘Barbaric’ action against peaceful demonstrations
He also alleged that the Congress-led UDF was silent on issues like the Governor-government tussle and the mayor's letter as they were hand-in-glove with the Left government.
Terming the police action against the agitating BJP councillors and activists demanding the resignation of the mayor with regard to the incident, he said the party strongly condemned the "barbaric" action against the peaceful demonstration by protesters.
"They (police) used tear gas, grenades and water cannons... Was there any violence? This is not the democratic way to handle peaceful demonstrations. We demand the suspension of police officers who used excessive power," he said.
The leader also visited the protest venue at the Corporation headquarters here, addressed the party workers and leaders and expressed solidarity with them.
LDF’s retaliatory accusations
Meanwhile, Javadekar's remarks that Iyer was an able administrator evoked sharp reactions from Education Minister Sivankutty who said the erstwhile Diwan was a person who had tried to keep Travancore an independent country without joining India or Pakistan.
"As per history, C P Ramaswamy Iyer's move had Pakistan's support. BJP's national leader is now hailing the person who worked against the integrity of India with the support of Pakistan," he said in a Facebook post.
He also said no one has threatened the Governor and everybody is giving him due respect.
(With inputs from PTI)
