Gavai bid against Pinarayi irks LDF

Kerala Home Minister comes out in the open

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) said the Governor’s stand and action had created a crisis for the government.

“The government had sought and received the advice of the advocate-general in the case. The Cabinet had discussed it and taken a decision. It was passed on to the Governor for his sanction,’’ explained  LDF convener Vaikom Viswan.

“However, instead of accepting the decision, we have come to know from the media that the Governor had consulted legal experts, taken a different decision and made it known to the CBI directly. Isn’t this a violation of constitutional norms? The government has received no communique from the Governor,’’ he said.

 It was Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the second in command in the Cabinet, who raised the issue first at a news conference here on Tuesday morning. He said the Governor had breached official procedure by not communicating to the government his decision and how he arrived at it.

According to him, the government was unable to proceed further in the case because of this. He pointed out that the copies of the report had even appeared in certain TV channels. Within an hour of Balakrishnan’s news conference, Raj Bhavan sent a copy of the Governor’s report, submitted to the CBI, to the Chief Minister’s Office.

 The CPM is understood to have decided to contest the Governor’s decision in court and also point out a serious violation of official procedures to prove its point that Raj Bhavan had succumbed to external pressures in the case.

Meanwhile, the Opposition UDF has said that it was Home Minister Balakrishnan who violated the Constitution by holding a press conference to raise charges against the Governor who had appointed him.