Congress questions Kerala Governor’s meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

Amid the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kerala, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also said that the office of Governor has been reduced to being a subordinate of the Prime Minister and Home Minister.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan speaking into a mic
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan speaking into a mic
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The Congress on Wednesday, September 21, attacked Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan for paying a personal visit to RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) chief Mohan Bhagwant when the latter was in Kerala, saying that the former's Constitutional office has become subordinate to that of the Prime Minister and Home Minister. All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also said that such an incident, where a Governor of a state goes and calls on the head of an organisation, has never happened before. “Moreover, RSS is an organisation which did not fly the Indian national flag for decades after independence,” Jairam alleged while speaking to the media during the break between the first and second leg of the day's Bharat Jodo Yatra.

On the ongoing tussle between Governor Arif and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Jairam Ramesh claimed that it was a "manufactured fight" aimed at diverting the attention from the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is receiving a huge public response. The Governor and the Kerala CPI(M) (Communist Party of India (Marxist)) were “two sides of the same coin", he alleged. "The BJP at the national level and the CPI(M) in Kerala are nervous, rattled and worried by the public response to the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The fighting between the Governor and Kerala CM is a manufactured fight aimed at creating news to divert attention from the yatra," he claimed.

“The objective of the CPI(M) here is to strengthen the BJP and weaken the Congress, just like Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal where because of her, the saffron party is gaining strength,” Jairam alleged. He further said that the office of Governor is a Constitutional post, but has been reduced to being a subordinate of the Prime Minister and Home Minister. "It has never happened that a Governor of a state goes and calls upon an organisation or its head," he said, referring to Arif's visit to the RSS chief at the place where the latter was staying in Thrissur.

Regarding the issue of people, including senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, leaving the party, Jairam Ramesh reiterated what he said last week that for every person leaving the party there are 20 more -- who are experienced, more committed and dedicated to Congress ideology -- ready to take up responsibilities. He alleged that those like Azad "betray" the party for "personal ambition" and others, like Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and the eight Goa MLAs who recently defected, want to go through the BJP “washing machine” to avoid probes by central agencies. "So I am not worried about those leaving Congress. As far as I am concerned they were migrant labour and their leaving only strengthens the party. It is not a regular exodus. They are just some disgruntled elements," he said.

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