Strained Kerala government-Governor relations evident at Ministers’ swearing-in ceremony

The strained relations between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan were evident on Friday as K.B. Ganesh Kumar and Kadannappally Ramachandran were being sworn in as Ministers at Raj Bhavan.

The strained relations between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan were evident on Friday as K.B. Ganesh Kumar and Kadannappally Ramachandran were being sworn in as Ministers at Raj Bhavan.

Although Mr. Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were seated next to each other on the dais, they were not seen greeting or speaking to each other. Mr. Khan appeared to keep a stern face throughout the brief ceremony which opened at 4 p.m.

After administering the oaths of office and secrecy, he shook hands with the new Ministers and presented bouquets to them. But once the ceremony ended and the National Anthem was sung, Mr. Khan promptly left the specially arranged venue — a large pavilion on the Raj Bhavan grounds.

The Chief Minister and most of the Ministers also left without staying for the customary high tea. The two new Ministers and Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran stayed back for refreshments, it is learnt. Government circles, however, denied that any boycott was planned.

The increasingly bitter relations between the Left government and the Raj Bhavan had plummeted to a new low with the SFI launching an offensive against the Governor after accusing him of attempting to saffronise institutions of higher education in the State.