The relationship between the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala and the Governor has been more or less a tranquil affair during the past decades with two rare exceptions.
In the late 1980s, there was a face-off between the CPI(M) and the Governor during the two-year-long tenure of Ram Dulari Sinha, who was a former Union and State Minister from Bihar. The then ruling front locked horns with the Governor over the nomination of a few members to the Senates of the Kerala and Calicut universities of her choice, thereby ignoring the recommendations of the State government. The LDF took to the streets protesting against the Governor and even organised marches to the Raj Bhavan. Later, the LDF government also passed a resolution in the Assembly condemning her “autocratic acts”.
Some of the young leaders of the Students Federation of India, who were at the forefront of those protests, later graduated in politics to become State Ministers in the second LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan, which again hit a collision course with Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan.
Though Mr. Khan began his tenure as Governor by declaring that he wanted to help the State government, the relationship turned sour in no time. Both the Governor and the government toughened their positions on a series of issues concerning the State. At one point, the Chief Minister and the Governor even refused to acknowledge each other and exchange smiles, if not pleasantries, while attending public functions. The Governor also criticised the government at press conferences and challenged activists of the Students’ Federation of India, who protested against him on the streets, to confront him directly, and termed them criminals. When Mr. Khan was later appointed Governor of Bihar, the LDF government chose not to give him a ceremonial send-off.
Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, was appointed the next Governor. He began his tenure on a cordial note with the government, even as litigation against the former Governor remained pending with the Supreme Court. Mr. Arlekar surprised everyone who was expecting the conflict between the Governor and government to continue by joining Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for a breakfast meeting at Kerala House in New Delhi recently.
However, a recent landmark judgment of the Supreme Court has come at the most inopportune time for both the Governor and the State government. Declaring Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi’s prolonged refusal to give his assent to 10 Bills as illegal and erroneous in law, the Court fixed a time frame for the Governors and the President to act on the Bills passed by the State Legislatures.
Kerala was one of the States that took the Governor to the Supreme Court. It had also set the legal and political circles of the State abuzz with its surprise decision to file an appeal in the Supreme Court after President Droupadi Murmu withheld assent for four Bills passed by the Kerala Legislature without disclosing any reasons.
The LDF government was quick to claim that the apex court has vindicated its stand on the issue by setting a timeline for Governors and the President to act on Bills, in the petition filed by Tamil Nadu, even though the Supreme Court is to consider its case only in May. However, it was caught by surprise when Mr. Arlekar gave an interview to the media terming the Supreme Court order as a judicial overstep. This has given rise to apprehensions that the bonhomie between the Governor and the government may not last long.
However, the government has approached the situation with abundant caution and the Ministers who responded to the Governor’s statement were careful not to rub him the wrong way. They also appeared to have confined themselves to the questions of law discussed in the Supreme Court order and not cross swords with the Governor.
It is not yet time for the Kerala government to rejoice since a final verdict on the issues raised by it will be taken up by the Supreme Court only next month. Also, there is apprehension that the Court may refer the case to a Constitution Bench. This means that the government will have to handle the current situation with extreme caution.
Published – April 16, 2025 12:56 am IST