Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 22, 2022, IANS

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 22 (IANS) Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will on Wednesday table a new Bill in the Kerala Assembly aimed at curtailing the powers of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as Chancellor.

The 10-day special session of the Assembly that got underway here this morning, has been specifically called to float 12 Bills, after 11 Ordinances lapsed following Khan's refusal to re-promulgate them earlier this month.

Consequent to Khan refusing to ink the re-promulgation, the CPI-M and Khan have been having a free for all. Slamming the Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran, the Governor had called him a "criminal" acting as a CPI-M cadre.

Khan has been up in arms against the Kannur University Vice Chancellor, after he cleared the appointment of the private secretary of Vijayan, K.K. Ragesh's wife Priya Varghese to the post of Associate Professor in Malayalam. Last week, the appointment was stayed after allegations of large-scale nepotism surfaced.

He also announced to constitute a special commission to probe all the appointments made in the various universities in the past few years in the wake of allegations that a good number of kith and kin of the CPI-M led Left have secured back door appointments.

Against the backdrop of all the developments, Vijayan on Monday decided to come out with a new Bill which will cull the powers of the Governor, as he is also the Chancellor of all Universities in the state.

Responding to it, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said while his party will oppose the new Bill, it will maintain a distance from the tiff between the CPI-M and Governor.