Tiruvananthapuram, Dec 30 (IANS) While the tussle between the Pinarayi Vijayan government and Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan over the re-appointment of Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran is on a high, on Thursday, the Congress party turned the table on Khan and asked him not to speak like a child.

Since December 8, Khan is peeved at the way Ravindran was re-appointed, though he put his signature on it, he went on record to say that he no longer is the chancellor as he has relinquished that post, after feeling bad in the manner in which the State Higher Education Minister R. Bindhu wrote two letters to him demanding the appointment of Ravindran.

Khan himself said that he forwarded a notice which he received from the Kerala High Court on the case of Ravindran to the Vijayan government as he is no longer the Chancellor.

The division bench will hear the petition filed against the re-appointment on January 12.

Taking cudgels with Khan on Thursday was Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan who said Khan is speaking like a child.

"He (Khan) is the chancellor and it's through a Bill passed in the Kerala Legislative Assembly that the state governor was appointed as the chancellor. Now he says he has relinquished the post. This cannot happen because if he has to relinquish the post, it has to be passed in the assembly. So what he has done is against the law. A governor is not above the rule of the land and what he said is totally wrong," said Satheesan.

Joining issue was Satheesan's predecessor and veteran Congress legislator Ramesh Chennithala who said what Khan should actually do is to correct the wrong he did when he re-appointed Ravindran.

"Instead of doing that, what he has done now will seriously affect the smooth functioning of the Universities. By now Khan himself has said on numerous occasions about the letter written by Bindhu, who has defended her letters. What Khan should do is to see that Bindhu is removed from the cabinet," said Chennithala.

Chennithala who had said he will move the Kerala Lok Ayukta against Bindhu is yet to do it as he is waiting for the answers to the RTI that he has asked the office of the Governor and once it comes he said he will do the needful.