Kerala Governor P. Sathasivam ‘invited’ Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday for what the Raj Bhavan described as “a discussion on the issues related to Sabarimala.”
Mr. Vijayan and Mr. Sathasivam spent nearly half-an-hour closeted together at the Governor’s official residence from around 12.30 p.m. The meeting appeared to have taken place without the customary planning, prompting some quarters to surmise that the Governor had summoned the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister’s audience with the Governor took place on a day when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had pointedly accused the Kerala Police of having been deliberately rude to Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan at Sabarimala.
In New Delhi, BJP State president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai held Special Officer, Nilackal, Yatish Chandra, SP, personally responsible for the “affront” and said he would take up the matter with the Centre.
A press release issued by Raj Bhavan later in the day said that the “Governor had highlighted the grievance expressed by Shri. Pon Radhakrishnan, Minister of State for Finance and Shipping.” A Raj Bhavan official told The Hindu that the Minister had spoken to the Governor on the phone earlier.
“The complaints about police action and the possibility of lifting the restrictions imposed through Section 144 of the CrPC were also discussed. The various directions of the Kerala High Court concerning Sabarimala also figured in the discussion. The Chief Minister has assured the Governor that all these issues would be looked into and acted upon as soon as possible,” the release said.
The Governor’s office said complaints regarding the “lack of basic amenities like drinking water, toilets and rest rooms at Nilackal, Pampa and on the way to the Sannidhanam” figured in the talks. The need to improve transport facility between Nilackal and Pampa also was discussed.
The Governor invited the Chief Minister for a dialogue on the issues related to Sabarimala after he received petitions from “various leaders and the general public”.
The Hindu Aikya Vedi-backed Sabarimala Karma Samathi, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and Kerala Congress (M) leader K. M. Mani were among the petitioners, the Raj Bhavan said.
Published - November 22, 2018 07:34 pm IST
