Kerala is on the verge of a major Constitutional crisis as the Chief Secretary and Police Chief refused to meet Governor Arif Mohammed Khan who had summoned them to Raj Bhavan to brief him about some of the sensitive political developments that hogged the limelight recently.
Both the Chief Secretary and the Police Chief were asked to meet the Governor on Tuesday evening and explain to him about the recent statements made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan about gold smuggling and hawala cash seized in Malappuram district and the latter’s volte face following the displeasure of the Islamic community in the State. The decision of the two senior officials in the State not to brief the Governor came following instructions from Chief Minister’s Office, it is reliably learnt. According to Vijayan, the Governor has no business to summon the chief secretary and the DGP over the head of the chief minister.
“The Governor’s action was following the refusal of Vijayan to meet him and explain the details about gold smuggling and hawala transactions reported from the Malappuram district. The Chief Minister himself had disclosed during a press meet that the district topped the table in the quantity of smuggled gold and hawala cash seized in the State. Vijayan had disclosed in the presser that out of the 147 kg smuggled gold seized in the State during the last three years Malappuram district alone accounted for 124.47 kg yellow metal.
