Both the bills have drawn sharp criticism from the opposition UDF in Kerala.
Thiruvananthapuram:
Heated discussions are expected on various bills in the seventh session of the Kerala Legislative Assembly beginning on Monday.
Bills include the taking away of the Chancellor’s powers from the Governor, the Vizhinjam port protest issue, and a dispute over appointments to the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. The session was called in view of the ongoing tussle between Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and the ruling LDF over the functioning of universities in the state and appointments in them.
However, the bill to replace the governor with eminent academicians at the helm of universities in the state is one of over 20 other bills that are expected to be taken up in the House during the session ending on December 15.
Another important bill that is likely to be hotly debated is the Kerala General Sales Tax (Amendment) Bill, which aims to increase Kerala GST on foreign liquor by four per cent to make up for the loss of revenue due to the five per cent exemption Can be done Turnover tax levied on distilleries manufacturing and selling foreign liquor in the state.
Both the Bills have been sharply criticized by the opposition UDF, which is likely to oppose them in the House.
The recent violent protests regarding Vizhinjam sea port construction and the state government’s actions on it as well as the controversial letter allegedly written by the Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation to the CPI’s district leadership are also expected to be raised by the opposition in the assembly . m) Calling for names of party cadres to be appointed on contract in the civic body.
The draft bill to replace the governor with eminent educationists as chancellors of universities in the state was approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on November 30.
The draft bill also provides that the government will have the power to remove an appointed chancellor from office on the basis of an inquiry conducted by a former judge of the Supreme Court or a high court in case of serious allegations of misconduct against him. In a recent statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
A day later, Khan questioned the legal sanctity of the bill, claiming that any provision contrary to UGC rules cannot become law.
The governor said that the Supreme Court has clearly laid down that if the state law is contrary to the UGC rules, then the UGC rules will prevail.
Even if the bill is passed by the House, which presumably enjoys the Left majority in the Assembly, it needs the assent of the Governor to become a law.
Khan is yet to sign the Kerala Lokayukta Amendment Bill and the University Laws Amendment Bill, which were passed by the Assembly during its last session, which concluded on September 2.
The Governor has claimed that he needs some clarification regarding these two bills and had asked the state government to clarify his doubts, but there was no response from his side.
Therefore, no decision has been taken regarding those Bills, he had said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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