Kerala Guv concludes address in Assembly in less than 2 mins

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an unprecedented move which also indicated his displeasure with the ruling Left front in the state, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Thursday quickly concluded the government’s customary policy address in the Assembly by only reading out its last paragraph.

Khan, who reached the Assembly at around 9 am, concluded the policy address before 9.02 am and left the House by 9.04 am. The Congress and the Opposition UDF led by it on Thursday termed as a “mockery of democracy” and an “insult to the Assembly” the unprecedented manner in which Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan very briefly read out the government’s customary policy address in the House.

Upon his arrival, he was greeted outside the House by Speaker A N Shamseer, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Parliamentary Affairs Minister K Radhakrishnan with bouquets.

Khan began the customary policy address by greeting everyone in the House and then said, “I will now read the last para.”

Reading out the last of the 136 paragraphs of the 62-page policy address, the Governor said: “Let us remember that our greatest legacy lies not in buildings or monuments, but in the respect and regard we show to the priceless legacy of the Constitution of India and the timeless values of democracy, secularism, federalism and social justice.”

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan said that reading out only the last paragraph of the policy address amounted to “contempt” towards the Assembly.

“It was also a contempt and neglect towards the Constitutional directives and rules of the Assembly. We are indicating our strong protest against the same. It was a pitiful ending to the political drama of the state government and the Governor,” Satheesan told the media after the conclusion of the policy address. Deputy LoP P K Kunhalikutty and senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan too spoke to the media along similar lines. They both said that what transpired in the House was a mockery of the Assembly and democracy.