Kerala Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan Criticises Governor Over Meeting with Secretaries
Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of the Opposition in Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, has accused Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar of violating constitutional conventions by directly holding a meeting with government Secretaries. The meeting pertained to events related to the observance of International Yoga Day.
Speaking on Thursday (June 18, 2026), Vijayan said, “The Governor’s duty is to act on the aid and advice of the Cabinet. It is anti-constitutional for the Governor to become a parallel power centre. The Chief Minister has still not reacted to this. There is a widespread perception that the government is surrendering to the Sangh Parivar. It appears that the Governor is making use of this situation.” He also recalled that in 2024, when the Governor had directed the Chief Secretary and the State Police Chief to appear for a meeting, the State government had taken a stand against it.
Later in the evening, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) issued a statement clarifying the sequence of events. According to the statement, the Governor’s Secretary had officially informed the Chief Secretary that the officials were not called for a special meeting, and that only communication regarding the yoga day took place.
The CMO statement further said, “The Chief Secretary has also written to Lok Bhavan expressing the government’s dissatisfaction with the holding of such a meeting. Meetings or review meetings related to officials are part of the executive functions of the government. The Chief Secretary also asked in his letter to Lok Bhavan to take special care to prevent such incidents from recurring.”
The development comes amid ongoing tensions between the State government and the Governor over the extent of the Governor’s powers. The Constitution mandates that the Governor acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, except in certain discretionary matters. Critics argue that direct meetings with bureaucrats undermine the elected government’s authority.
Governor Arlekar has not yet commented on the accusation. The matter highlights the delicate balance between the constitutional roles of the Governor and the elected government in Kerala.
