Kerala Governor slams Pinarayi govt's Nava Kerala Sadas, terms it 'extravagant'
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan criticised the Kerala cabinet's public outreach programme Nava Kerala Sadas terming it as an 'extravagant' event amid the severe financial crisis in the state.
FollowNew Delhi: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan lashed out at the LDF-led Pinarayi government on Wednesday (Dec 13) against the extravagant Nava Kerala Sadas amid the financial crisis in the state. The Governor also slammed the attack of the SFI activists against him in Thiruvananthapuram.
Speaking to reporters, Governor Khan said, " What is the purpose of this yatra? If I go and see the problems of the people myself, I will find a solution there. If that is the purpose of the yatra, then it is perfect. They are only collecting applications. We can ask people to send applications to Thiruvananthapuram, Collectors and Sub-collectors or arrangements can be made to bring them to the capital. No solution to any problem on the spot. So is it a yatra for fun?"
He continued, "If I go to a place so that I develop a better understanding of the problem and find a solution right away there, that can be the purpose of the yatra. Here the purpose of the yatra is to boast that 'we have collected over 3 lakh petitions'. So it defies logic."
Governor Khan also slammed the government for not paying welfare pensions to the people.
He said, "We are not able to pay the pension to the people who have worked for the state for more than 37 years. The Chief Secretary said in the affidavit before the Kerala HC, that the Kerala government is not in a position to honour the financial guarantees it had given earlier. It means government is not able to fullfill its constitutional duties. On the other hand, we are seeing festivities at a large scale; extravaganza. Just for the renovation of the swimming pool at Cliff House, Rs 10 lakh given."
The Governor added, " It is also important to note that those who have worked for more than 35 years for the state, are not given their pension. But those who have worked for two years as ministers' staff, continue to receive their pensions.
Meanwhile, a certificate from the Raj Bhavan states that during the attack against Arif Mohammed Khan on Sunday, the Kerala Governor's car sustained damage of Rs 76,357. Along with the remand report, the Kerala police have brought the certificate before a local court. The court noted that the first citizen of the state was the victim of the atrocity while evaluating the report.
The police verified that the accused had harmed the official car while opposing the court-mandated bail for the detained individuals. They contended that it might create unfavourable precedents for other political groups. Additionally, the prosecution disagreed with the accused's bail request. As per the remand report, releasing the SFI members on bond would probably allow them to use their political connections to undermine the case.
Out of the seven accused in the case, six were remanded to custody by the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court 3. The sixth accused Aman Gafoor was granted interim bail as he has an LLB exam. The other accused are Yadhukrishnan, Ashique Pradeep, Ashish R G, Dileep, Ryan and Rino Stephen.
