Kerala governor takes a dig at state govt, says he needs more time to study ordinances

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan asserted that he would not blindly approve the ordinances that expire on Monday. He said that he requires more time to study the ordinance and cannot take a decision hastily on the matter. His remark came while addressing the media in Delhi.

He has reached Delhi to participate in a conference in connection with ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Maholsav’. The governor alleged that the state government sent him 14 files a day after he arrived in Delhi. He asked how he could study 14 files within just four days.11 ordinances, including the controversial Lok Ayukta Amendment Bill, will turn invalid on Monday if Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan refrains from signing them. If the ordinances are not signed, the amendments made to six laws will become void, which will be an unusual event in the state.

It has been hinted that the ordinance which cut down the governor’s powers as vice chancellor had provoked the governor. However, no official declarations were made regarding this. Instead, the governor’s office marked its dissent in renewing the ordinances continuously without introducing them in the Assembly.