Have Guv Arif Mohammed Khan and Pinarayi Vijayan patched up?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All it took was a phone call from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan for the ice to melt and the latest is that the customary Governor's address to this year's first Assembly session will take place.

The phone conversation happened on Tuesday.

At the Wednesday's routine weekly cabinet meeting, Vijayan informed his colleagues that the decision to prorogue the Assembly session which ended on December 13, 2022 will have to be made.

The decision not to prorogue was taken last month in order to keep out the Governor from reading his address as since August last year both Khan and Vijayan have been taking potshots at one another.

There were quite a few occasions when the spat took dangerous turns. A never before situation arose in the state when Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues did not attend the customary Christmas eve get-together called by the Governor, and Vijayan when he hosted such a get-together did not invite Khan either.

Vijayan was peeved ever since Khan put his foot down when it came to the appointment of Vijayan's private secretary K.K. Ragesh's wife to a teaching post at the Kannur University.

Since then the relationship between the two has worsened. However, the ice appears to have melted on Tuesday when Vijayan spoke to Khan to give the concurrence for the swearing-in of Saji Cherian, who had to quit the cabinet in July last year over a speech controversy.

After the two spoke, the first in a several months, Khan immediately gave his nod for the swearing-in of Cherian which will take place at the Raj Bhavan later Wednesday.

According to sources, there will be a special cabinet meeting held shortly and the decision to ask the Governor to call a fresh session of the Assembly, thereby paving the way for Khan's address to the Assembly which should happen at the end of this month.

The state chief secretary is now working on the Governor's address.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said he was least surprised at the fresh developments.On Tuesday, Satheesan said there was an agent who was brokering peace between Khan and Vijayan.

However, both the Congress and the BJP have decided to stage a protest against the swearing-in of Cherian.