The strained relationship between the Kerala government and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan over university governance took center stage on Tuesday, December 17, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet ministers skipped the Governor’s Christmas celebration at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram.
Although invitations were extended to the Chief Minister and other cabinet members, only Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan attended the event as the government’s representative. Other attendees included KV Thomas, the government’s special representative in Delhi, MLA Chandy Oommen, and several religious leaders. Notably, the Kerala government had earlier approved Rs 5 lakh to fund the Governor’s Christmas celebrations.
The friction between the two sides stems from the Governor’s controversial role in university governance, particularly his recent appointments of vice-chancellors at the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and the Kerala University of Digital Sciences. The appointments drew sharp criticism from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and its student wing, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI). They accused the Governor of attempting to “saffronise” higher education by appointing individuals affiliated with the Sangh Parivar as vice-chancellors.
The discord escalated on December 17, as SFI activists staged a protest against the Governor at Kerala University, where he was scheduled to inaugurate a seminar organized by the Department of Sanskrit.