Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 24 (PTI) The Kerala assembly on Tuesday decided that there was no need to take up for consideration the letters to the Speaker by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar demanding that the policy address as read by him should be considered as the official version.
Speaker A N Shamseer ruled that there was no need to consider the Governor’s letters based on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s submissions on the issue.
Vijayan said, in the House, that there have been instances in the past where Governors have sought clarifications or indicated their difference of opinion with certain portions of the policy address by writing to the CM.
“That has been the precedent. Whenever the Governors in the past have avoided portions of the policy address, the Speakers have always ruled that the version approved by the cabinet is the official one,” he said.
He further said that this time, the Governor did not by any means inform the CM about his difference of opinion regarding any portion of the policy address.
He said that a Governor unilaterally changing a policy address approved by the cabinet and then reading it in the House has never happened before.
He added that such a move cannot be considered constitutional in a parliamentary democracy.
In view of the past precedents on the issue and various Supreme Court rulings, there is no need to put up for consideration the Governor’s letters in the House, Vijayan said.
“In view of the clarification given by the CM, the Assembly has decided that the letters sent to the Speaker by the Governor need not be considered,” Shamseer ruled.
During his policy address on January 20, ahead of the start of the Budget sesson, Arlekar had omitted portions that included sections criticising the BJP-ruled Centre’s fiscal policy and references to Bills pending approval from the Raj Bhavan.
In addition, Arlekar had also made an insertion in the policy address.
After the Governor’s policy address, Vijayan had urged the Speaker that the policy address approved by the state cabinet should be acknowledged as the official version without including the omissions and additions by Arlekar.
Shamseer had said that omissions of or additions to the cabinet-approved address are not officially recognised as per the past precedents of the House and the same shall be applicable this time also. PTI HMP ROH
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