New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram | Amidst the ongoing row between the Kerala Governor and the ruling Left in the state, Arif Mohammed Khan on Wednesday questioned the purpose behind the LDF government's outreach programme, Nava Kerala Sadas, by asking "is it for fun"? Shortly thereafter, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijyan hit back at Khan by saying that he was not acting in accordance with his Constitutional position as head of the state.
Responding to Khan's allegations, the CM also said that the Nava Kerala Sadas was not being held to collect complaints, nor was it an extravagance.
Khan, earlier in the day while speaking to reporters in Delhi, said that if the intention was to gather applications or petitions, that could have been collected locally and sent to the state capital.
He said that people could have given their complaints to the Collector, sub-collector or local body officials and the same could have been sent to Thiruvananthapuram.
"If a solution to the problems of the people was being given right at the spot, then it is very good. But there is no solution to any of the problems on the spot.
"So, is it a yatra for fun? What is the purpose of the yatra? They say they collected over three lakh petitions. Is that the purpose? It defies logic, defies reason," Khan said.
Vijayan refuted Khan's contentions and clarified that the programme was being held to tell the people about the problems being faced by the state and not collect complaints.
"But when ministers go to a place, people will come with their grievances and requests. We had expected that. Since it would be difficult to collect requests and grievances from the large number of people coming to the programme, we established counters for the same. But, the priority is being given to explain the problems to the people," he said.
The Governor and the ruling LDF in the state have been at loggerheads since the Supreme Court verdict quashing the reappointment of Gopinath Ravindran as VC of Kannur University and berating the Left government for its "unwarranted intervention" in the matter.
Following the verdict, Khan had accused the chief minister of having exerted pressure on him in the matter.