Kerala governor-designate Arif Khan: Need long-term strategies to combat floods in state

Expressing concern at the devastation caused by the floods in the state for the second consecutive year, Khan, who will succeed former Chief Justice of India Palanisamy Sathasivam in the Kerala Raj Bhavan, said, “We need to think and devise long term strategies on how to overcome the deluge.”

For the second consecutive year, Kerala reeled under heavy rainfall and floods, resulting in the death of 125 people and causing widespread destruction of property and crops.

“You realise the truthfulness of the statement only when you visit the state,” PTI quoted Khan as saying.

Khan has served as a minister in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s Cabinet. He had resigned from his post in protest against the enactment of a law to nullify the Supreme Court verdict in the Shah Bano case.

After resigning from Congress, Khan later joined the Janata Dal and was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989. He later left the Janata Dal to join the Bahujan Samaj Party and became MP in 1998 from Bahraich. In 2004, Khan joined the BJP and contested the Lok Sabha polls on a ticket from Kaisarganj constituency but lost.

(With inputs from Agencies)