Who’s Swaraj, asks Kerala Guv Arif Mohammed Khan over ‘sound mindset’ remarks

Thiruvananthapuram: Reacting to the insulting remarks on him by CPM State secretariat member M Swaraj, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan said that he does not know who Swaraj is and added that he would not answer such people.

Swaraj had said that the Constitution does not demand a person with a sound mindset as governor. 

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“Some qualifications are required to perform the duties of MLA and MP and hence Chief Minister, Prime Minister, Ministers, Union Ministers and Speaker etc. It is clearly stated in the constitution. One of those qualifications must be perseverance. There should be no delusion, no madness. But there is only one post in the Constitution of India which does not have this clause, and that is that of the Governor. There is no qualification prescribed to become a governor. It sounded very interesting. Perhaps the far-sighted people of the Constituent Assembly thought that Arif Muhammad Khan would become the Governor of Kerala in future , otherwise  this section would have omitted. It has been said that one should be 35 years old to become a governor,” Swaraj had said.

The Governor's response was to the media questions on this.

Regarding the State Government's failure to provide nominees to the search committee, the governor said, “Despite repeated requests, the universities did not provide nominees to the search committees. Now let the government do what it likes. The government has the right to go to court. I am doing my job and don't blame me for not appointing vice-chancellors," he added.