Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan used a function at the Raj Bhavan on Sunday to position himself as the champion of free speech. The occasion was the release of the inaugural copy of the official journal of the Kerala Raj Bhavan, 'Rajahams'.

In the presence of Governor Rajendra Arlekar, the CM said that he had strong reservations about an article in the inaugural issue, but still, he would prefer dissenting voices over any attempts to snuff them out.

The article in the inaugural issue of 'Rajahams', 'Article 200 and A Constitutional Conundrum', addressed an issue that was at the root of the Governor-government conflict in Kerala. Article 200 is concerned with the Governor's assent to Bills passed by a state Legislature, and many of the bills passed by the Kerala Legislature had been withheld for months and even years by the previous and the present Governors without giving any reason. 

The article, written by the Governor's legal advisor Sreekumar, was critical of the Supreme Court order in May 2025 that termed Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi's decision to ignore 10 bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly as "illegal and erroneous" and set a time limit for the Governors to decide on bills. 

In the article, Sreekumar argued that a two-judge bench was too inadequate to decide on a Constitutional amendment. Further, the Governor's legal advisor argued that an amendment to the Constitution fell within the domain of the legislature and not the courts.

"Adding something more to Article 200 necessarily means an amendment to the Constitution itself. Article 368 of the Constitution contemplates the amendment of the Constitution which involves addition, variation or repeal. Such a process cannot be done through a judgment rendered while interpreting the Constitution. It is to be borne in mind that the Supreme Court is also bound by the Constitution of the country and it is often held by the apex court that legislation is not within the realm of the courts in this country," he states. 

In his speech, Pinarayi acknowledged the possibility that articles in 'Rajahams' could deviate from the government's view. "We have an argumentative society. Reason why opinions that differ or conflict with those of the government will appear in these pages," he said. "For example, in the first edition of 'Rajahams' itself, there is a piece titled 'Article 200 and the Constitutional Conundrum'. If asked whether the writer's points of view on Article 200, the powers of the Governor and the Legislature align with that of the government's, the answer will be no. It is the writer's personal opinion. Just because it had appeared in the Raj Bhavan's journal does not mean the government subscribes to all that is written," the CM said.

Pinarayi's message was clear. The government is not bothered about what is written in 'Rajahams'. "The moot question is this. Should we permit dissenting opinions or should we smother them? This is a government that believes in the former," he said.

Pinarayi said this accommodation of criticism was a legacy bequeathed by the Renaissance struggle. "Our task is to safeguard this right to dissent. And this is also why such opinions do not trouble us," he said.

Many bills passed by the Assembly, some of which sought to clip the Governor's powers as chancellor, have been refused assent by the Governor. 

On November 1, 2023, Kerala filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging the inaction of Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on various Bills pending before him for assent. Governor Arlekar, too, had refused assent for important bills like the Kerala State Private Universities (Establishment and regulation) Bill, 2025.