CM aiding smuggling, says Kerala governor
The raging tussle between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala and governor Arif Mohammad Khan escalated further on Thursday, with latter raising the gold smuggling controversy to target chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accusing his office of “patronising illegal activities” in the state.
The raging tussle between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala and governor Arif Mohammad Khan escalated further on Thursday, with latter raising the gold smuggling controversy to target chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accusing his office of “patronising illegal activities” in the state.

Talking to reporters in Delhi, Khan said though he has never interfered earlier, the alleged patronising of smuggling activities by the chief minister’s office and people close to the CM are grounds enough for him to step in now.
“I have never interfered. But now I see all smuggling activities are patronised by the office of the chief minister’s office (CMO). Now books are being written. People sitting in the CMO dictate to Kannur University VC to appoint their relatives — underqualified and unqualified,” he said.
The governor also rejected allegations of interference in appointments in state’s universities levelled against him by LDF leaders. At a convention in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, Vijayan and other LDF leaders attacked the governor by alleging that he was trying to implement the agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in state universities. “He is trying to undermine the progress in the higher education sector and trying to implement the saffron agenda,” Vijayan said at the event. “He wants to form a parallel government but we will oppose it strongly.”
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Khan offered to resign if the chief minister could show one example of his interference in appointment of varsity vice chancellors. “When you make such a serious charge against me, you have to substantiate it,” he said.
“They (Left government, CM) are saying I am doing this (action against VCs) to bring RSS people. If I have nominated even one person, not just of RSS, any person, on my own using my authority, then I will resign,” said Khan. “Will he (CM) be able to resign if he is not able to approve his oft-repeated charges?”
He also rejected the LDF leaders’ allegation that he was a nominee of the RSS. “If I point out serious lapses in varsities, how can I become RSS overnight. I cannot be a silent spectator to illegal appointments,” he said.
The gold smuggling case surfaced in July 2020 and has since witnessed several twists and turns. It came to light after 30kg of gold was seized from a baggage from the United Arab Emirates consulate in Thiruvananthapuram by the sleuths of Customs department. A former employee of the consulate, PS Sarith, who came to receive the consignment, was arrested the same day and after a week the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested the second accused Swapna Suresh and her accomplice Sandeep Nair from their hideout in Bengaluru.
The chief minister’s former principal secretary M Sivasankar was suspended and jailed for his alleged liaison with some of the accused. At present, five central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate, are investigating the case.
Khan on Thursday asked reporters to take time and read a book written by one of the accused (Swapna Suresh) about the “smuggling activities” and “nexus with people in power”.
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Hitting back at Khan, Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary MV Govindan asked him to mainrain the sanctity of his post. “There is nothing new in his allegations. He has been raking up issues after issues to please his bosses,” said Govindan. “We are least bothered. Our mandate improved after such wild allegations cropped up.”
The opposition Congress in the state questioned the governor’s long silence over the gold smuggling case. “He could have acted two years ago when the smuggling case surfaced,” said state Congress president K Sudhakaran. “Now he is saying the CM’s office patronised everything. He should act rather than making tit-for-tat statements.”
