Vijayan govt sacks Governor Arif Khan as Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam deemed varsity

As the government vs Governor row escalates, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government on Thursday issued an ordinance to remove the Governor as the Chancellor of the Kerala Kalamandalam deemed university.

According to the amended rules of the deemed university, the Chancellor's position will now be filled by an "eminent person in the field of Art and Culture appointed by the sponsoring body."

Presently, Governor Arif Mohammad Khan is the Chancellor of the Kerala Kalamandalam deemed university, according to the varsity's website.

The order also stated, "The Governance System & Management Structure of Kerala Kalamandalam (Deemed to be University for Art & Culture) shall be in accordance with the Government of Kerala. The Governance System and Management Structure of the Deemed-to-be University are as per the provisions contained in these rules and ordered issued and to be issued hereinafter by the Government of Kerala as and when the occasion arises."

This development comes amid the LDF government's ongoing tussle with Governor Arif Khan over the functioning of universities, including the appointment of vice Chancellors.

Raj Bhavan says not informed about the ordinance

According to the sources in Raj Bhavan, the Kerala government did not inform the Governor that he has been removed.

Even though statutes of deemed-to-be-university give power to the executive to make amendments, there should have been "decency for the government to inform the same to the governor," sources added.

Centre using Governors to encroach on state govts' powers where horse-trading not possible: CM

On Tuesday, CM Pinarayi Vijayan accused the Union government of using Governers in non-BJP ruled states to encroach into the power of governments and legislatures when horse trading is not possible.

"In many states, horse-trading of elected representatives is going on. We may have to replace the word 'horse' with something else as it's an old term and the prices have now really gone up," Vijayan had claimed.

"It is not the price of a horse now, we all know that. Where such horse-trading is not possible, the Governors are used to encroach upon the powers of the state governments and legislatures," he added.

Moreover, he claimed that attempts were being made to "financially choke" such states. "Looking at all this we can see that there is an attack against the democratic system in our country," he contended.