A week after Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan refused to sign 11 ordinances, the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) sharpened its attack on the latter saying he was trying to sabotage the only Left government in the country.
Talking to the media, party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Friday said there were concerted efforts to bring down the democratically-elected government and the governor was acting at the behest of the Union government.
“The governor’s action to not sign the ordinances was unprecedented. This is against the democratic principles. In fact, he had signed all ordinances earlier but refused to re-promulgate them now for reasons best known to him,” Balakrishnan said in the state capital. He said the government always wanted a cordial relation with the governor but the latter was not forthcoming to buttress such a relation.
“In some other opposition-ruled states, the Centre is using the governor to weaken the government. It seems there is an attempt to create such a situation here also. The government is forced to convene an assembly session after he refused to sign the ordinances. This is an unprecedented situation,” said Balakrishnan.
He said some of the lapsed ordinances were urgent like the one on Lokayukta. “Lokayukta has sweeping powers in the state and neither the Supreme Court nor the high court enjoys such powers. We brought an ordinance to correct them,” he said. When asked about the junior partner CPI’s concern in this regard, he said a final decision will be taken after consulting with all allies in the Left front.
{{/usCountry}}He said some of the lapsed ordinances were urgent like the one on Lokayukta. “Lokayukta has sweeping powers in the state and neither the Supreme Court nor the high court enjoys such powers. We brought an ordinance to correct them,” he said. When asked about the junior partner CPI’s concern in this regard, he said a final decision will be taken after consulting with all allies in the Left front.
{{/usCountry}}Talking about the Enforcement Directorate notice to former finance minister Thomas Issac, he said the Union government was trying to scuttle development of the state.
All the ordinances were lapsed on last Monday after the governor refused to sign them necessitating for the government to convene an emergency session of the assembly on August 22. But the governor maintained that a clutch of ordinances were sent to him the day he left the state and he did not get enough time to go through them. He reiterated that “ordinance raj” was against the very spirit of democracy. After a week-long trip he returned to the state on Thursday.
A section in the Lokayukta Act (Section 14) mandates the state government to obey its verdict over cases pertaining to graft and misuse of office by public servants. The government removed this right in February this year by an ordinance. It argued that public servants were forced to abdicate their posts even without a chance to appeal. But the CPI felt that any move to dilute its provisions will weaken the anti-corruption watchdog.
The government is worried as a case in connection with the alleged misappropriation of funds meant for natural disaster relief is pending before the Lokayukta. The government wants to take away its special powers and empower either the governor or chief minister to accept or reject observations made by it after giving an opportunity to hear concerned parties.