Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
Credit: PTI File Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: The Governor - government differences in Kerala saw a new turn on Wednesday as Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar strongly flayed Speaker A N Shamseer's reaction that the Governor's office had sent a 'highly confidential' letter to the media first.
The row is over a letter sent by the Governor's office to the speaker seeking the visuals of the policy speech by the Governor in the house on January 20.
Speaker A N Shamseer said on Tuesday that he would not reply to the letter as the Governor's office gave the 'highly confidential' letter to the media before sending it to him.
According to a statement from the Lok Bhavan on Wednesday, the Lok Bhavan categorically rejected and strongly refuted the statements of the speaker on the 'highly confidential' letter.
"Lok Bhavan is not appreciating the manner in which the speaker responded to the letter addressed to him by the Constitutional head of the state. The rules and decorum do not permit a press conference to reply to such a letter. The original of the letter was served on the speaker and it has not so far come to the notice of Lok Bhavan that any media has published the said letter," said the statement.
"The Governor has, at all times, adhered to constitutional propriety, institutional dignity, and established conventions in communications with the legislature. Public insinuations questioning these principles, without verification of facts, are regrettable and undermine the decorum of high constitutional offices."
The strongly worded statement also said that Lok Bhavan urges restraint, responsibility and respect for constitutional norms, and expects that future discourse on such sensitive matters will be guided by facts and propriety rather than conjecture.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said in the assembly that the Governor omitted two portions and altered one part of the policy speech approved by the cabinet. Speaker A N Shamseer had ruled that the one approved by the cabinet will only prevail.