Kerala CM, Governor, And Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Meeting Sparks Political Speculation Amid Fiscal Tensions

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has created a political flutter in the state when he broke protocol to be present at a meeting between Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in New Delhi and help establish a connect between the CPM government in Kerala and the BJP-led Union Government.

The Congress was immediately on its feet on Thursday saying that the tacit understanding between the CPM and the BJP was out in the open. The Congress is smelling a conspiracy to oust it from State politics with the CPM helping the BJP occupy the second political slot.

Arlekar’s ‘helping attitude’ toward the CPM government in Kerala is diametrically opposite to the confrontation that his predecessor Arif Mohamad Khan had taken during his tenure.

The Governor argued the case for the help that Kerala needs with the Finance Minister, sources said.

Arlekar took another unprecedented move when he called a meeting of members of Parliament from the state and Pinarayi.

This was probably the first time that a governor has invited MPs and CM from a state for a formal meeting. All the MPs except Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Wayanad) and KPCC president K Sudhakaran (Kannur) participated.

According to MPs who participated in the meeting, the governor told them that on matters concerning the state, everyone should unite without considering political differences. Arlekar also said that he is aware of the state’s issues and is ready to meet the prime minister or central ministers, along with the CM, for the sake of development.

Understandably, the Governor’s political moves have sent off shock waves in the UDF and the BJP. Arlekar was an RSS leader prior to being named a minister in Goa.