Kerala Guv-SFI row: Khan takes on students' union, says will stay in campus

Days after activists of the SFI allegedly attacked him, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday decided to stay in the Calicut University campus in an apparent bid to take on the pro-Left student union.

To attend various programmes later in the day, Khan was initially scheduled to stay at the government guest house in Kozhikode but announced a change of plans.

"I was planning to stay at the government guest house. Then 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 told reporters in New Delhi.

The Governor said he would get out of the car in case the protestors reach the vehicle.

"If someone comes near my car, I will immediately stop it and get down. Why should they hit my car? They should hit me. If they have guts, they should hit me. They want to frighten me. I am not the one who can be frightened. They are bullying," Khan said.

He said the student organisation have changed their stance now, and they will only wave black flags from a distance.

"The political party has officially issued a statement saying the black flag will continue, but there will be no block. It means earlier they were blocking my way? That is a crime," the Governor said.

He asked whether anyone would be allowed to go near the car of the chief minister.

Recently, while on his way to the International Airport at Thiruvananthapuram, the Students Federation of India activists allegedly attacked Khan's car following which he alighted from the vehicle.

The student union has been protesting against the actions of Khan as the Chancellor of the universities and nominating BKP-ABVP activists as the senate members in various universities.

The SFI, the youth wing of the ruling CPI(M), has been alleging that Khan's actions were part of the saffronisation agenda of the BJP.