Kerala Government got two ministers on Friday in lieu of the two ministers who were dropped on Christmas. Kadannappalli Ramachandran (80) and K B Ganesh Kumar (58) were sworn in as members of the council of ministers headed by Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday evening as a special shamiana in the Raj Bhavan at Thiruvananthapuram.

More than the swearing in of the ministers, what stood out was the indifference shown in public by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Pinarayi Vijayan. The head of the State and the head of the Government did not greet each other or exchange a word. Throughout the function, Vijayan, Kerala’s Karana Bhoothan, sat grim faced and did not look towards the Governor who was sitting near him. But Vijayan was seen flushing and smiling at the Raj Bhavan staff, particularly the women officers.

Once the ten minute long swearing in ceremony was over, Vijayan walked out of the stage without attending the tea party. Besides Ramachandran and Ganesh Kumar only one minister turned out for the high tea hosted by the General Administration Department.

The Government of Kerala has filed a complaint in the Supreme Court  against the Governor for not signing on orders issued by the former appointing persons who are close to the CPI-M leadership in important positions and also for throwing cold water over their move to appoint party cadre or their relations as vice-chancellors of the universities in the State. This has upset the Governor who has been following a path of consensus with the State administration.

The last few days saw the SFI, the students wing of the CPI-M demonstrating against the Governor by waving black flags and even blocking his cavalcae when he went to Kozhikode to attend official functions. P M Arsho, the militant State Secretary of the SFI, who is facing many criminal cases, went to the extent of declaring that the Governor would not be allowed to enter in any of the university campuses in the State. The Chief Secretary of the State is yet to submit replies to the questions sent by the Governor seeking explanations for the non-payment of pension and salaries to the government staff.

The Chief Secretary made a strategic decision on Friday by abstaining himself from the swearing in ceremony. In his absence the show was held under the auspices of the additional chief secretary, who happens to be the spouse of the former.

If the ice between the Governor and the chief minister does not melt, it is likely to lead to a Constitutional crisis in Kerala. The Governor is scheduled to address the budget session of the Legislative assembly in January 2024 and if he refuses to read out the speech that would be prepared by the Kerala Government, it is likely to put the Pinarayi Vijayan led government in a dilemma, according to K Ram Kumar, senior lawyer of Kerala High Court and a Constitutional expert.