Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s ruling CPI(M) party laid siege to the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. More than a lakh people have gathered in front of Raj Bhavan to serving an ultimatum to the Governor, whom the former accuses of saffronizing Kerala’s higher education sector, according to M V Govindan, the party’s primary school drill master-turned-political bureau member.
Since early in the morning, luxury buses have been transporting hundreds of people to the Raj Bhavan grounds in order to make the event a success. All leaders of the LDF’s constituent units, led by the CPI(M), have gathered in front of the Raj Bhavan, though most of them were seen with grim expressions.
The CPI(M) has issued an ultimatum to the leaders of the constituent parties: join the demonstration or die. Kadannappalli Ramachandran, the Congress (S) leader and the party’s lone MLA who is struggling to get into the council of ministers, is sitting with other ministerial hopefuls with the sole intention of appeasing Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister and the CPI’s supreme commander (M).
Kanam Rajendran, the CPI State Secretary and a Vijayan acolyte is also sitting in the hot sun in front of the Raj Bhavan Gate. However, Chief Minister Vijayan has yet to join the protest.
In the next hour, Sitaram Yechury, the general secretary of the CPI(M), whom Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described as the general secretary of the Indian National Congress, will launch the siege programme. CPI(M) cadre claims Governor Arif Mohammed Khan left Raj Bhavan and travelled to New Delhi after learning of the party’s siege of the Raj Bhavan.
“This marks the start of the end of the BJP-RSS rule in India.” “Their Saffronization drive will end in May 2024,” said Govindan, who is also the CPI’s Kerala Secretary (M).
The Kerala High Court’s decision on Monday to remove the vice-chancellor of KUFOS has not dampened the spirits of the party’s cadre, despite the fact that constituents like Congress(S) and Kerala Congress (Mani) are caught between the devil and the deep sea syndrome.
The CPI(M) has been successful in mobilizing thousands of daily wage earners from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme to stage a siege in front of Raj Bhavan. They are portrayed as academics and ideologues.
Meanwhile, the CPI(M) has begun a race for nine vice-chancellor positions based on caste, community, and religion. Though the appointment is based on the regulations announced by the UGC, the party cadre and fellow travellers believe that the Vijayan-Govindan duo will be appointed despite failing to meet the UGC’s qualifications. Sunil Elayidam, Deepa Nishanth, and Thomas Issac are among those running for the vice-chancellorship (former finance minister of Kerala). Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajkendran’s name has also been mentioned as a potential claimant.
