Newly-appointed Governor of Kerala and a leading moderate Muslim face, Arif Mohammad Khan said on Sunday that his prime responsibility would be to ensure that the government of the day (Left Democratic Front) functions "according to the rule of law".
"As the representative of the Centre, I would oversee that a duly-elected government carries its duties in accordance with the law," he said in an exclusive interaction with IANS.
On several occasions, the LDF government, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), has been blamed by its rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for targeting the cadres of the 'Sangh Parivar'.
On being asked about the selective targeting of political cadres in Kerala, Khan said: "Let me first take the charge. I am here for peace. I am here to unite people. It won't be appropriate to elaborate on this issue."
Former Union Minister Khan, who had walked out of the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet and the Congress in 1986 over the controversial Shah Bano case, said that three days back, he was asked by the leadership (at the Centre) whether he would prefer to be out of Delhi.