Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan arrived in the capital late on Monday night amid black flag protests by activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) at multiple points on the stretch leading from the airport to Raj Bhavan. Although there was heavy police deployment on the entire stretch, the Left youth and student activists managed to stage protests in at least five locations, accusing him of attempting to saffronise universities. Chants of ‘Sanghi Governor go back’ filled the air even as the motorcade sped along without any interruption. Posters against the Governor were also put up along the entire stretch.
Earlier, soon after arriving at the airport, he reiterated his allegations against the Left Democratic Front government and the SFI. He said that there was no security issue when he ventured into Kozhikode city and mingled with the crowd in the busy S.M. Street on Monday. Only the SFI, who are not representative of all the students, has been protesting against him. “During my stay there, eleven representations were received from staff organisations of the Congress, the Indian Union Muslim League and the BJP regarding irregularities in the Calicut University at the instance of political leaders,” he said.
On BJP ties
When asked about his relationship with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Governor lost his cool and asked whether the BJP is a banned organisation. “I have a right to have relationship with anybody. I am not answerable to anybody except to the President of India,” he said.
