Kerala Governor reads out 84-second speech in Assembly; UDF terms it 'mockery'

Thiruvananthapuram: Amidst a running feud between the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government and the Raj Bhavan, state Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, in an unusual move on Thursday, read out only the concluding paragraph of the government's customary policy address in the Assembly.

The Governor's action drew sharp criticism from the Opposition Congress-led UDF, which termed it a "mockery" and an "insult to the Assembly". The state BJP chief defended Khan, saying he did so in response to the Left front's attempt to shift blame to the Centre.

Reading out the last paragraph of the 136-para and 61-page text, the Governor said, "Let us remember that our greatest legacy lies not in buildings or monuments, but in the respect and regard we show to the priceless legacy of the Constitution of India and the timeless values of democracy, secularism, federalism and social justice.

"The essence of cooperative federalism is what has kept our country united and strong all these years. It is our bounden duty to ensure that this essence is not diluted."

"Together as part of this varied and beautiful nation we will weave the tapestry of inclusive growth and responsible resilience, overcoming all the challenges that are thrown our way," he said, concluding his address, and sat down in the seat marked for him on the dais.

The Governor, who reached the assembly at around 9 am, concluded the policy address before 9.02 am and left the House by 9.04 am. Upon his arrival, Khan was greeted outside the House by Speaker A N Shamseer, Chief Minister Vijayan and Parliamentary Affairs Minister K Radhakrishnan with bouquets.

Khan began the customary policy address by greeting everyone in the House and then said, "I will now read the last para." His speech lasted only for one minute and twenty-four seconds, according to the state assembly officials.

Thereafter, the national anthem was played, and after it ended, Khan walked out of the Assembly. The entire exercise ended in less than 5 minutes.

The ruling Left downplayed the situation, asserting that the Governor fulfilled his Constitutional duty.

Although it is not clear what prompted Khan to skip major parts of the policy address, the state BJP, which has no representatives in the Assembly, claimed that the governor indicated his displeasure towards the state's stand. "No government in the history of Kerala has suffered such an embarrassment," it said.

Khan and the Left government have been at loggerheads over several issues, including the functioning of universities in the state and his non-signing of certain bills passed by the Assembly.

The tussle also resulted in Khan facing widespread protests across the state from the CPI(M), its youth wing -- Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) -- and its student outfit -- Students Federation of India (SFI).

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly V D Satheesan said that reading out only the last paragraph of the policy address amounted to "contempt" towards the Assembly.

"It was also contempt and neglect towards the Constitutional directives and rules of the Assembly. We are expressing our strong protest against the same. It was a pitiful ending to the political drama of the state government and the Governor," the Congress leader told the media after the conclusion of the customary policy address.

Satheesan said other than mentioning a few financial issues, there was no proper criticism of the Central government in the policy address.

In the policy document, copies of which were circulated to the media later, the Left government criticised the BJP-led Centre's fiscal approach towards Kerala by noting that the state had to move the Supreme Court to seek a solution to the financial impasse.

The state government clarified that only 3.7 per cent of Kerala's tax revenue comes from alcohol, contrasting with other states where it can be as high as 22 percent.

This clarification was in apparent response to Khan's remarks that he feels ashamed that the state's two main revenue sources were lottery and alcohol.

Deputy Leader of Opposition in the state assembly P K Kunhalikutty said they were all "surprised" by how quickly, within five minutes, the entire thing ended.

"We saw the Governor come and then saw him leave like a rocket. He did not even look at us (opposition) while leaving. It is a mockery. It actually amounts to an insult to the Assembly. We do not approve of such conduct," the national general secretary of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) said.

BJP state president K Surendran threw his weight behind the Governor, saying that Khan's actions were a setback for the state government's move to blame the Centre for problems faced by Kerala.

He claimed that baseless statements were incorporated in the policy address to hide the incompetence of the state government and to blame the Centre.

He also rejected Satheesan's claim that there was no proper criticism against the Centre in the policy document.

"It is Khan's actions were a setback for the state government's move to blame the Centre for problems faced by Kerala," Surendran said.

Meanwhile, state Law and Industries Minister P Rajeev said that the Governor "discharged his Constitutional duty".

"He approved the policy address prepared by the Cabinet. Reading the first and last para of the address also makes it part of the House records. It can be read like that too. It is equivalent to reading the whole thing," the minister said.

The first paragraph deals with the greetings extended to the Assembly Speaker, CM, LoP, and members.

Rajeev said the government does not know why Khan swiftly concluded the address.

"We do not know whether he did not read it fully due to some difficulty or some other problem. But he has rightly discharged his Constitutional duty," the minister said.

State Culture Minister Saji Cheriyan also said that a policy address can be concluded like this if the Governor is facing some health issues.

According to the state assembly officials, the record for the shortest policy address in the Kerala Assembly was set by then Governor Jothi Venkatachalam during the seventh session of the sixth assembly on January 29, 1982, lasting only six minutes.