Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched a two-pronged attack on Tuesday aimed at the Centre and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.
Vijayan said the Centre was using Governors to tread on the powers of the legislatures and governments in states not ruled by the BJP where 'horse-trading' wasn't possible.
"In many states, horse-trading of elected representatives can be seen," Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Tuesday.
The Kerala CM was addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) staff association.
"But where horse-trading was impossible, Governors are used to encroach on the authority of the government and its legislatures," Vijayan said.
The Kerala government and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan have been involved in a power struggle for quite some time. Most recently, the Governor issued an order removing Vice-Chancellors of 11 state universities, a matter that remains in court.
Vijayan continued his attack on the BJP-led Centre accusing it of financially suffocating the states that do not fall in line.
"Our democratic set-up is under threat, the rights of workers are denied. There are even attempts to privatise the defence of our nation. The shares of PSUs are sold in the name of national monetisation pipeline," he added.
