Ugly, uglier, ugliest—the ongoing tussle between Kerala's governor and the chief minister of the state has been documented in various degrees of severity so far. However, a resolution seems elusive. Nearly a month ago, during the swearing-in ceremony of two new ministers in the Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet, the duo shared a stage for the first time in a while. Despite sitting next to each other, they didn't even exchange a glance. The governor behaved as if the chief minister were non-existent, and vice versa. Incidentally, the CM left the Raj Bhawan without participating in the high tea organized for him and others.
On January 17, both the CM and the governor were present to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the latter came to Kerala for a two-day visit. Interestingly, the PM interacted more with the CM than the governor, and the pictures of the PM holding the CM’s hand went viral.
The undeclared ‘vow of silence’ between the CM and the governor stayed intact during this event too.
Eight days later, the CM welcomed the governor offering a bouquet when the latter came for the policy address speech of the 10th session of the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly. But again, there was no friendly air in the sight. The governor then shocked the state and its legislative assembly by winding up his policy address speech in less than two-minute time.
Opposition leader V.D. Satheeshan as well as leaders from LDF like CPI state secretary Binoy Vishwam, strongly criticized the governor's actions. Interestingly, the chief minister attempted to downplay the incident, reportedly stating in the Parliamentary party meeting that according to the rules, only the first and last portions of the policy address need to be read, and suggesting that the governor might be facing some health issues.
On the following day, the ‘we don’t talk anymore' scenario played out once more during the Republic Day celebrations. After the official Republic Day event, the governor left the platform with folded hands, deliberately avoiding even a glance in the chief minister's direction. Interestingly, during the Republic Day event, the governor and Vishwam exchanged some friendly gestures, despite Vishwam’s severe criticism of the governor for his actions related to the policy address speech the previous day. Later that day, the chief minister and his ministers chose to boycott the 'At Home' reception hosted by Khan as part of the 75th Republic Day celebrations. Notably, even the chief secretary and DGP abstained from attending the event.
The next day, the governor did an unusual sit-in protest on the road, when the workers of the students wing of the CM’s party waved black flags at his convoy in Kollam.
Exiting his vehicle, the governor sat on a chair from a nearby tea shop and conducted a sit-in on the roadside in protest. Khan accused the police of neglecting their duty by not intervening when SFI workers were protesting with black flags.
The infuriated governor charged, "You (police) are offering protection to the protesting SFI students here".
While his anger was ostensibly directed at the police, it was evident that the governor was once again making a statement against the chief minister, who oversees the home ministry. It was clear that his intention was to raise questions about whether the Kerala Police was applying different standards in handling security measures for him and the chief minister. Notably, there has been a series of incidents in recent times where black flag protesters opposing the chief minister were reportedly attacked by the police and CPI(M) cadres in various parts of Kerala. Shortly after Khan’s ‘sit-in protest’ incident, the Union Home Ministry decided to provide Z+ security to the governor and Kerala Raj Bhavan.
In response to the incident, the chief minister launched a strong personal attack, urging Governor Khan to undergo a comprehensive health check. "Get a check-up done; there are many kinds of health issues," Vijayan remarked, suggesting that the governor may be facing some mental health issues.
In recent months, the governor, by means of both actions and words, has unequivocally conveyed that the dispute is no longer confined to mere differences in opinion or ideology; it has become personal. He had made a slew of wild allegations against the CM, including that the latter had conspired and directed his ‘goondas’ to attack him.
On the flip side, the cadres of the chief minister's party, particularly the student wing, have been engaging in a distasteful personal assault on the governor. They have depicted Khan as someone with poor manners and have even tried hard to create a caricaturish image of him, portraying him as someone who spits 'pan parag' everywhere. Now, with the chief minister himself making suggestive remarks about the governor's mental health, it is likely to fuel additional personal attacks from his party members.
One thing is evident: the entire state apparatus, particularly the bureaucracy, finds itself in an uncomfortable situation when the governor, serving as the constitutional head of the state, and the chief minister, leading the government, are entangled in a contentious situation.