Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar Takes Oath as the 23rd Governor of Kerala
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Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 2 (NationPress) Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has officially taken the oath as the 23rd Governor of Kerala on Thursday, with the ceremony led by Kerala High Court Chief Justice Nitin Madhukar Jamdar.
The event was held at the official Governor's residence and attended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Speaker A.N. Shamseer, various cabinet ministers, and senior officials.
Arlekar takes over from Arif Mohammed Khan, who held the position for over five years before being reassigned to Bihar. This transition saw the two governors effectively swap roles, with Arlekar previously serving in Bihar.
A significant moment occurred on Wednesday when Chief Minister Vijayan abruptly concluded a press briefing, stating he had to head to the airport to welcome the newly appointed Governor. This was in stark contrast to Khan's departure on December 29, where neither Vijayan nor any cabinet members were present to bid farewell.
Upon his arrival, Arlekar visited P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, the Governor of Goa, who hails from Kerala.
In his remarks regarding his new role, Arlekar stated, “My responsibility is to support the Kerala government, and I do not intend to engage in any confrontations. This has always been my stance. My meeting with the Goa Governor was to gain insights.”
The relationship between the outgoing Governor, Khan, and Chief Minister Vijayan was characterized by frequent public disputes. Tensions peaked over Khan's resistance to the state government's attempts to influence state universities. This conflict reached a climax when Khan declined to sign several important ordinances and bills, leading the state government to seek intervention from the Supreme Court.
The disagreements between Khan and Vijayan were often visible, with minimal interaction at official events. A major point of contention was Khan's opposition to the government's attempts to control the operations of state universities. Tensions grew when he refused to endorse significant ordinances and bills, which led the government to approach the Supreme Court for assistance.
All attention is now on Arlekar, an experienced politician from Goa and the former Governor of Bihar. While he has made his intentions clear, it remains to be seen how his relationship with the Vijayan government evolves.
The first significant task for Arlekar will be delivering the required Governor’s address to the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly later this month.
It is noteworthy that during the Assembly's first session of the 2024 calendar year, when the disagreements between Vijayan and Khan were at their height, Khan delivered his address in under 90 seconds, marking it as the shortest Governor’s address ever.
