Kerala Chief Minister says not all petitions forwarded by Governor can elicit government’s reply

Kerala CM Vijayan says govt not duty-bound to reply to all petitions to Governor; will respond if facts are convincing. On HC notice in Kochi Minerals case, he says "let it come" & blames Centre for not allowing State to take over loss-making CPSUs. IT majors expanding in State, creating jobs.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on December 8 (Friday) that his government was not duty-bound to reply to all the petitions submitted before the Governor.

The government will respond only if “the Governor is convinced of the facts” mentioned in the petitions, he told a media conference held on the sidelines of the Navakerala Sadas public outreach programme.

The Chief Minister was responding queries about the response sought by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan to a petition submitted before him by R.S. Sasikumar, chairman of the Save University Campaign Committee, requesting him to recommend the President to declare a financial emergency in Kerala in view of the current financial crisis.

Mr. Khan had forwarded the petition to the Chief Secretary seeking the government’s reply.

“Is this not the person (Sasikumar) who had filed cases against the government earlier?” asked Mr. Vijayan while reminding the Governor that forwarding such petitions to the government was not proper.

On the Kerala High Court’s decision to send notices to him and his daughter along with a few others in connection with the alleged pay-off by the Kochi-based Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) for undue favour, the Chief Minister said that “let it (notice) come.”

“You need not be unduly worried about the notice”, he told the mediaperson who sought his response.