Governor-Chief Minister row an electoral theatrics, says K.C. Venugopal
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and MP K.C. Venugopal on Tuesday (January 20, 2026) alleged that the controversy over Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar omitting portions of the policy address, later read out by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was an electoral theatrics staged jointly by the Governor and the Chief Minister. Speaking to the media in Kannur, Mr. Venugopal said the episode appeared to be a scripted act in which space was deliberately created for the Governor to delete portions, while simultaneously giving the Chief Minister an opportunity to respond theatrically. He asked why such omissions were never highlighted earlier if the Governor had the practise of striking out portions of the address. Recalling the tenure of former Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, he said the Chief Minister and his colleagues had remained silent even when substantial deletions were made in policy addresses in the past. Criticising Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian recent statement that communal polarisation was evident in the recently local body polls as seen by the names of those who had won …





