Kerala CM meets FM Sitharaman in presence of Governor in Delhi

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a meeting with Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Kerala House in Delhi on Wednesday in the presence of Governor Rajendra Arlekar.

The meeting followed by breakfast came just a day after the Governor’s rare interaction with the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from the state in Delhi where he exhorted them to bury political differences and work for the interests of the state. The Governor had also pledged his support to the Chief Minister to effectively present the issues and demands of the state before the Union government.

“The visit of the Union finance minister to Kerala House was unofficial. The minister returned after having breakfast,” a release from the CM’s office said.

“The talks were positive,” former Union minister and Kerala’s special representative in Delhi, KV Thomas, who was also a part of the meeting, told reporters.

People familiar with the matter said Vijayan took up multiple issues including the need for more Central assistance for Wayanad landslide victims’ rehabilitation work and for the long-term growth of the Vizhinjam transshipment port.

At the same time, experts believe there is a political angle in the governor’s presence in the meeting as well as his pledge of support to the state government.

“Actually, there is no requirement of the governor to attend the meeting if it was to discuss the Centre-State issues. Since he did, there is a political angle to it. It could very well be construed as growing affinity between the CPI(M) and the BJP ahead of elections in the state,” said former political science professor J Prabhash.

“The aim of the BJP and the CPM in Kerala is the same — eliminate Congress-led UDF. If the Congress is finished, then there will be a vacuum which will be taken over by the BJP,” he added.

He added that the Governor’s office had no role in mediating between the Union government and the state as per the Constitution and the country’s laws.