Thiruvananthapuram | Congress leader and MP K Muraleedharan on Tuesday expressed doubt as to whether the CPI(M) was using its student outfit SFI to allegedly attack the Kerala Governor "to invite President's Rule" due to the financial crisis in the state.
Muraleedharan said that the Congress, while in power in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and currently in Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, and Karnataka, has encountered issues with the Governors in those states.
"But we never created a situation where it becomes difficult for the Governor to move around in a state. Even in Tamil Nadu, the Governor has no problem moving around despite differences with the state government," the Congress MP said.
That is because when you block or obstruct the Governor, the consequences under the law are very serious, he said.
The Students' Federation of India (SFI) recently allegedly blocked and attacked the vehicle of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as part of its ongoing protest against him over his appointments to the senate of some universities in the state.
Khan has hit back at the SFI by terming it as "an organisation of goondas" and called its activists "criminals and bullies".
Muraleedharan said that CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan recently claimed that the Governor was attempting to create a situation where President's Rule can be imposed in the state.
"I suspect, and we (Congress) fear, that there may be a conspiracy by the Marxist party aimed at inviting President's Rule in the state by obstructing the Governor.
"The reason for the same being the financial crisis in the state. In such a situation, we suspect they may be provoking the Governor to invite President's Rule here," the Congress MP told a TV channel.
He said that while the Congress has political differences with the ruling Left in Kerala, it will strongly oppose any move by the Centre to impose President's Rule in the state.
He also said that Congress was not in favour of saffronisation or Marxist influence in higher education.
"While the Governor is trying to promote saffronisation of universities, SFI is holding protests for Marxist influence in the varsities. However, if the demand is for general guidelines for appointments in universities, we are ready to support that.
"Presently, CPI(M) wants only its party members or supporters to be appointed to the universities, while the Governor is in favour of those affiliated to the BJP which is ruling the Centre. We are opposed to both." he said.
