THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress legislator V. T. Balram on Tuesday took to the Facebook to assert his party shouldn't be blamed if Pinarayi Vijayan lacked the guts of Mamta Banerjee to say "no" to the governor's summoning. The CPM leaders were left red-faced since Governor P. Sathasivam summoned the chief minister to the Raj Bhavan on Sunday to explain the law and order situation in the state after a BJP worker's killing and widespread violence and arson in the state capital. Mr Balram reminded them that his West Bengal counterpart had asserted that she was not a slave of the governor to be intimidated.
"Mamta is also the chief minister of a state. Is it the Congress to blame if Pinarayi Vijayan does not have the spine," he wrote on his page. He said "summon" from the governor was not a court order. The governor is the head of the state, and technically the ruler. "Governor is responsible for observing the state's affairs, including law and order, and apprise the Union government," he said. "The protocol is that if the governor wants to discuss such pertinent issues, he would be summoning the CM to his office and not the other way round."
He added, "It was up to Pinarayi to decide if he were to go to the Governor on such occasions." The Thrithala MLA said he could have sent his chief secretary and since that was not the case, it's clear that he had no qualms about it. Mr Balram also said the Opposition would support the government if it moves a resolution in the Assembly against the Central intervention. Senior leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan MLA also came down heavily on the Governor, saying his action was unwarranted and the situation in the state did not demand an external intervention.
