Kerala Gov takes on SFI, vows to stay on Calicut varsity campus for 3 days

Khan — the chancellor of all the universities in Kerala — was in New Delhi and reached the Kozhikode airport late Saturday evening. Meanwhile, police

removed protesting SFI cadres who had gathered on the campus hours before his arrival.

Addressing the media in the campus, Khan said, “They (SFI) men are being hired by the CM (Pinarayi VIjayan). The protest is being sponsored by the CM because he wants to divert

attention from the financial crisis in the state. I don’t believe in scaring people, and I am not scared of anyone. The CM is used to this because he is coming from Kannur, which has a bloody history.”

According to Raj Bhavan sources, the Governor was initially scheduled to stay at the government guest house in Kozhikode, but later changed the plan and decided to stay at the guest house in Calicut University campus.

“If they (SFI) waylay my car, I would immediately stop and get down. If they have the guts, they should hit me. They wanted to frighten me, but I am not the one who can be frightened. I cannot accept this. Bullying is unacceptable. They cannot force me to do what they want…,” Khan had told the media in New Delhi, in an apparent bid to take on the pro-Left student union.

“I was told that they (Students Federation of India) had said that they won’t allow me to enter the university. Then I said change the programme and I will stay at the university campus itself,” Khan added. Khan is likely to take part in several events in Kerala on Sunday and Monday.

Earlier in the day, SFI also staged a massive protest in front of the Calicut University, after which, police arrested several activists, said officials.

The row between the Governor and the SFI started on Monday when SFI members — who have been protesting against Khan for over a week, accusing him of filling up university senates with “Sangh Parivar men” — showed him black flags, going close to his car and shouting slogans, when Khan was on his way to the Thiruvananthapuram airport to catch a flight to New Delhi.

Irked by the protest, Khan stopped his car, disembarked and walked towards the

protesters, calling “bloody criminals, come”.

Then, turning towards the police, Khan said, “How did they come near me? Who is the police officer here? They (protesters) are criminals hitting my car.” He said that police have been prevented from acting against these criminals adding that he is not scared of anyone.

On Tuesday, Khan had hardened his stand against state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over SFI’s ongoing stir against him, reiterating that it was a “conspiracy” hatched by the CM, while the protesters were acting as per his “instructions”.

Showing support to SFI, Kerala CPI(M) Secretary M V Govindan had made a public statement that its student wing would continue the agitation against Khan.

Earlier, CPI(M) had slammed Khan, accusing him of being a “Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) tool in the state”.   -With PTI inputs