Kerala Governor declines invitation to inaugurate Loka Kerala Sabha
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Monday declined a state government request to inaugurate the public meeting of the three-day-long Loka Kerala Sabha, a common platform for Keralites worldwide, later this week.
The Governor conveyed his position when Chief Secretary V Venu presented Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's letter at Raj Bhavan, according to sources here.
Khan, who has been at odds with the Left government on various issues, raised concerns about allegations made against him by CPI(M) leaders and the protests staged by its student and youth activists in public places, including blocking his vehicle movement in the state, during the chief secretary's visit.
Sources said he was upset with the ministers who publicly declared their support for the activists protesting against him, encouraging them as democratic actions.
During the meeting, the Governor questioned the sudden change in the government's approach towards him and declined the invitation, also pointing to the lack of similar invitations for other government programmes like 'Keraleeyam', they added.
The fourth Loka Kerala Sabha, aimed at cultural, socio-political, and economic integration of Malayalees residing outside the state, is scheduled to take place from June 13 to 15 at the Kerala Assembly complex.
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Ishan Kishan returns, Ruturaj Gaikwad named captain of India A team for Australia tour
New Delhi, Oct 21: Ishan Kishan returned to the national set-up as he was on Monday named in a 15-member India A squad, to be led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, for the upcoming tour of Australia.
Fresh from his fine hundred against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, Maharashtra's Gaikwad was named captain of the India A team.
India A will play two first-class matches against Australia A in Mackay and Melbourne and then take part in a three-day intra-squad game against the senior India team in Perth.
Apart from Gaikwad, the squad also includes other opening batters like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan, as India will likely need to name a reserve opener in their Test squad for the upcoming tour of Australia, with captain Rohit Sharma set to miss one of the first two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for personal reasons.
Kishan, who was dropped from the BCCI central contracts earlier this year due to concerns that he was "prioritising" the cash-rich Indian Premier League over domestic cricket, made his return to the India A setup.
Kishan was last part of the India squad during the tour of South Africa in 2023, which he had left midway.
The batter had reportedly taken a personal break which did not go down well with the BCCI.
After the player decided to skip the domestic competitions in the run-up to the IPL, the BCCI dropped him from the central contract.
India A squad for the tour of Australia: Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vice-captain), Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Baba Indrajith, Ishan Kishan (WK), Abishek Porel (WK), Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal, Navdeep Saini, Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian.
