Kollam: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan stages a sit-in protest at a tea shop at Nilamel against the police's alleged failure in preventing black flag protests by the Students Federation of India (SFI), in Kollam district, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: A day after Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan staged a protest on the street alleging security lapses by Kerala police, the ruling CPM in Kerala hit back by alleging that the Governor was lying that CPM's student activists hit his car.
Khan had justified his protest on the road at Kollam on Saturday by stating that SFI activists waved black flags, shouted slogans against him and hit his car and the police failed to act effectively.
CPM Kerala secretary M V Govindan told reporters that from the video footage of the incident at Nilamel in Kollam on Saturday it was very evident that the SFI activists did not even reach near the Governor's car. Khan had been telling such lies as part of BJP-RSS agenda of triggering law and order problems in Kerala, Govindan said.
He also said that there was no use in seeking recall of the Governor as another person with the same agenda could be posted as Governor by the BJP government at the Centre.
The CPM and the SFI also announced that there would not be any withdrawal in the ongoing protests against the Governor even as the CRPF took charge of Governor's security.
Meanwhile, there is resentment in the Kerala government over the Centre's decision to give CRPF security for the Governor without holding any consultation with the state government. Since the state government did not receive any formal communication in this regard, the police protection of the governor was also not withdrawn.
The union home ministry was learnt to have sought a report from the Kerala government on the alleged lapses in security cover to the governor.