Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan refuses permission to convene special assembly session against farm laws.
However, later he accepted the government’s amended request for convening the session.
Why he refused to convene the session?
He questioned the urgency of the special session and said that the Assembly lacked the jurisdiction to offer a solution to the farmers’ protest.
Earlier he questioned a resolution passed by the Kerala Assembly on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
He also made public statements supporting the CAA and the farm laws.
How did the state government reacted to this?
Kerala Chief Minister said that the Governor has no discretionary powers in this matter & his actions are unconstitutional.
Opposition parties in the state also stood by the state government.
What does this action of the Governor indicate?
Governor’s refusal to convene assembly undermines duly elected State governments.
He has encroached upon the powers of the state legislature and the elected government which undermines the democratic processes.
His actions in defending the Centre and questioning the State on sensitive topics portrays him as partisan& can weaken federalism.
Such partisan behaviour can tarnish his personal reputation as a fair-minded public figure.
This action is comparable to that of Rajasthan Governor who refused to convene a session of the Assembly in July last year as demanded by the Chief Minister.
What was done in the special session of the assembly?
On December 31, one-day session sought the repeal of the central laws that are at the heart of the ongoing farmer agitation.
A resolution was passed unanimously with the support ruling LDF, the opposition UDF & the lone BJP member.
It raised procedural and substantive questions related to these laws in the resolution& highlighted the fact that agriculture is a State subject.
It also said that since the matter seriously affects the States,these Bills should have been discussed in the inter-State council meeting.
They are passed in haste without even referring them to the Standing Committee of the Parliament which the Assembly termed “a serious matter.”
It has become habitual for the Centre to overlook regional concerns & central agencies are used to intimidate Opposition-ruled States.
The Council of States (Rajya Sabha) is systematically undermined by arbitrarily labelling bills as money bills.
