If Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan is unable to confine himself to the constitutional duties and responsibilities, then it is best that he returns to full time politics, Kerala's ruling CPI-M said on Sunday.
In a statement, state CPI-M Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that Khan had time and again breached his brief as Governor and behaves like a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician. The statement comes in the wake of the Governor's exchange with historian and Aligarh Muslim University faculty Irfan Habib at the Indian History Congress held at Kannur University. Delegates at the Congress objected to the Governor's pro-Citizenship Amendment Act remarks during his speech, while Irfan Habib, who was on stage tried to intervene. The Governor took to Twitter to accuse him of trying to disrupt his inaugural address and wrote that 'this intolerance towards a different opinion was undemocratic'.
"It's true that he became a law maker at a very young age and if he fails to resist speaking politics, then it's best he quits the post of Governor and becomes a full-time politician. What he did yesterday (Saturday) at the 80th edition of the Indian History Congress at Kannur is totally unacceptable. He was speaking out of context and dabbled in politics," Balakrishnan said in his statement.
"The Governor is now the biggest votary of the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) and behaves and speaks like a BJP leader. However the previous governor (P Sathasivam) though appointed by the BJP government, always maintained the decorum that a governor needs to maintain. The rules are very clear on the way a Governor should conduct himself," Balakrishnan added.
In the videos of the event held at Kannur University, the Governor can be heard referring to Indian scholar and activist Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in his speech and tells the protesters in the crowd, “Maulana Azad said during convocation that the Partition took the dirt away but some potholes were left behind, where water has collected and now it is stinking,” he said, adding, “You are causing a foul smell. Maulana Azad had said this for you.”
It was at this point that Irfan, who was on the stage, stood up and raised his objection. When he saw Irfan standing near him and raising objection, the Governor said, “Was Maulana Azad your property? He is ours.”