Continuing his standoff with the CPI(M)-led state government, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan Thursday cut short his policy address to the Budget Session of the Assembly, wrapping up in less than two minutes.

After reading out the first paragraph addressing the Assembly, Khan jumped to the last paragraph of the 61-page-long policy address, before winding up the speech, one of the shortest policy addresses of a governor in the Kerala Assembly marking the beginning of the Budget Session.

In his 1.81-minute-long address, Khan read out: “Let us remember that our greatest legacy lies not in buildings or monuments, but in the respect and regard we show to the priceless legacy of the Constitution of India and the timeless values of democracy, secularism, federalism and social justice. The essence of cooperative federalism is what has kept our country united and strong all these years. It is our bounden duty to ensure that this essence is not diluted. Together as part of this varied and beautiful nation we will weave the tapestry of inclusive growth and responsible resilience, overcoming all the challenges that are thrown our way.’’

While the government, which has been involved in protracted confrontation with Khan including in the Supreme Court, played down the issue, the Opposition Congress-led UDF said the Governor had insulted the Assembly.

CPI((M) leader and Law Minister P Rajeeve argued that Khan had discharged his “Constitutional responsibility”. “He read out the policy address, which was ratified by the Cabinet. There is nothing wrong in reading out the first and the last paras of the policy address.”

At the same time, Rajeeve added: “We do not know why he opted to read only those two paras. We do know whether he has any issue. The state government perspective is very well stated in the last paragraph, which the Governor read out. The state approach towards federalism is very clear in the last paragraph.”

Accusing Khan of snubbing the House, Congress Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan said: “He has the Constitutional obligation to read out the policy address. In the address, there is no criticism against the Union government policies. What we have seen in the House is a pathetic finale to a political drama staged by the Governor and the government. The policy address does not reflect the ground realities of the state, where people are struggling to make both ends meet,” he said.

The portion of the address that Khan skipped included the state expressing concern over the Union government’s stand on fiscal matters. “The (Kerala) government’s stupendous achievements have come about despite many formidable challenges confronting it. Paramount among these is the liquidity stress stemming from the vertical imbalance between the Union and states in fiscal matters. The fact that the Union possesses a significantly greater capacity to mobilise resources compared to states, while states are mandated to undertake developmental expenditures that far surpass their revenue-generating capabilities, points to a great asymmetry within India’s federal system. This has further intensified, constraining the fiscal position of states.’’

The address went on to talk about the discontinuation of GST compensation, a reduction in revenue deficit grant, and restrictions imposed on off-budget borrowings by states.

It is the first time Khan skipped portions of his Budget Session speech which included criticism of the Centre. Earlier, he has read out sections where the Union government and its decisions ranging from farm laws to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, as well as its fiscal policies, came under attack.