Thiruvananthapuram, February 24 The Kerala assembly on Tuesday decided that there was no need to consider the letters from Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to the Speaker, requesting that the policy address delivered by him should be considered the official version.
Speaker A N Shamseer ruled that the Governor's letters should not be considered based on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's submissions on the matter.
Vijayan said in the House that there have been instances in the past where Governors have sought clarifications or indicated their differences of opinion with certain portions of the policy address by writing to the CM.
"This has been the precedent. Whenever 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 stated that this time, the Governor did not inform the CM about his difference of opinion regarding any part 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 consider 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 session, Arlekar had omitted portions that included sections criticizing 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.