Policy address revisions trigger Governor-Govt clash in Kerala; Lok Bhavan sends letter to Speaker

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar has opened a new front of confrontation with the LDF government over revisions made to the policy address in the Legislative Assembly’s Budget session.

The Governor sent a letter to Assembly Speaker AN Shamseer, requesting that all proceedings of the day, along with video recordings, be forwarded to Raj Bhavan.

The Governor argued that he had earlier requested certain corrections to his speech, which the government ignored, and that it was improper to include parts in the policy address.

According to legal advice received by Lok Bhavan (formerly Raj Bhavan), if the government is asked to remove any such portions, it is obliged to comply. The omitted sections were reportedly removed because they contained factually inaccurate statements, the Governor said.

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The government maintained that the policy address is delivered by ministers on behalf of the Cabinet and that the Governor does not have the authority to alter it. On this basis, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented a motion in the state Assembly to reinstate the omitted parts. The government has stated it will not deviate from this position, even at the Governor’s request.

The development sets the stage for another potential confrontation between the Governor and the LDF government over constitutional powers and authority.

Earlier, when the policy address was sent to Raj Bhavan, the Governor had already communicated the requested corrections to the Chief Secretary. It was indicated that there was a lapse on the part of the Chief Secretary in relaying this to the Chief Minister’s office.