Kerala guv draws flak on pro-CAA remarks from CPM, Aligarh academic body

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has come under fire from multiple quarters for allegedly using his gubernatorial position ‘to advance the agenda of the Centre.’

On December 28 (Saturday), he was in the news for having referred to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) during his inaugural address at the Indian History Congress in Kannur, Kerala. Veteran historian Irfan Habib, who is also the outgoing president of the Indian History Congress (IHC), had walked up to the dais and reportedly asked the Governor to ‘quote Godse.’ The governor’s ADC and policemen present prevented Prof Habib from going near the Governor, even as the latter said, “Professor Habib wants me to quote Godse.”

On Sunday, the Aligarh Society of History and Archaeology (ASHA) condemned the ‘use of force’ on Prof Habib.

Also read: Kerala Governor faces protests from delegates at History Congress

A statement issued by ASHA said, “Professor Irfan Habib, who was on the dais in the capacity of being the outgoing President of the IHC, got up from his seat… to request the governor to refrain from turning IHC into his political arena. As soon as Professor Habib went there, the ADC and the security officer of the Governor pushed him and tried to stop him. The Governor too started accusing Habib of trying to stop him from speaking,” the Aligarh Society of History and Archaeology said in a statement.

The statement was issued by Professors Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi, Jabir Raza, Manvendra Kumar Pundhir, and Farhat Hasan. It condemned the ‘stifling of the right to protest.’

This apart, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the secretary of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist [CPI-M], said the Governor should return to politics rather than push the agenda of the Centre. Kodiyeari, in a statement, said the Governor had time and again overstepped his brief and was behaving like a BJP politician.

“The Governor is now the biggest votary of the CAA and behaves and speaks like a BJP leader. However, the previous governor (P Sathasivam), though appointed by the BJP government, always maintained the decorum that a governor needs to maintain. The rules are very clear on the way a governor should conduct himself,” he added.