Amid mounting tension between the Kerala government and Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on various issues, the ruling CPM on Thursday alleged that Raj Bhavan-based political moves are being made to "topple" the Left dispensation.

CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan alleged that the RSS has a role in the anti-government moves.

"CPM is facing new political challenges (in the state). RSS is working on an agenda for the next three years. Delhi is the centre of such activities. RSS offices are headquarters of this (the anti-government moves)," Balakrishnan alleged at a party function here.

Accusing the Raj Bhavan of also playing a role in the "planned move to topple" the LDF government, the senior CPM leader said it would be resisted with the support of the people.

His statement came a day after Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan stayed the controversial appointment of a Malayalam Associate Professor in Kannur University. The CPM is also upset over the Governor's decision not to sign many ordinances.

Several ordinances, including the Kerala Lokayukta (Amendment) Ordinance, issued by the LDF government lapsed on August 8 as Khan had not signed them owing to paucity of time to go through them, sources said.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress today backed the Governor's move on the Kannur University issue, saying he had acted legally in his capacity as Chancellor.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's private secretary K K Ragesh's wife Priya Varghese had been proposed to be appointed as Associate Professor in the Malayalam Department by Kannur University, which triggered a huge political row as she had the lowest research score but the highest in the interview round and was declared as first in the selection process.

Justifying the Governor's action to stay the proposed appointment, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan said Khan had actually used his power to prevent the Kannur University's attempt to make an illegal appointment.

A comprehensive probe should be conducted into all similar appointments of close relatives of ruling party leaders allegedly made in other universities across the state during the past six years, he demanded.

The senior Congress leader reiterated his charge that faculty posts in state universities are 'reserved' for the relatives of the CPM leaders.

"Justice has been denied to deserving persons (job aspirants) openly. The same has happened in the past six years as well. The Governor should take steps to investigate and cancel all such appointments," Satheesan told reporters here.

Noting that as per the law passed by the state Assembly, the Governor has the power to cancel illegal appointments made in universities, he said the opposition would definitely oppose his actions if he acted against law.

The university's decision to approach the court against the Governor's action is to restore injustice, he further alleged and said if they do so, the Congress-led UDF would also seek legal recourse to ensure that such violations don't take place again in the southern state.

Earlier, Balakrishnan in an article on CPM mouthpiece "Deshabhimani" made a scathing attack against the Governor, saying that the BJP-led government at the Centre was trying to put the Left government in a dilemma using Khan.

In a detailed article, Balakrishnan charged the Governor with acting as a 'tool' of the Narendra Modi government and the BJP.

The senior Marxist leader pointed out that as per rules of the parliamentary democratic system of the country, the President and the Governor should act in accordance with the advice of the union and the state cabinets respectively.

On Wednesday, Khan, in his capacity as Chancellor of universities in the state, stayed the proposed appointment of Associate Professor in the Department of Malayalam in Kannur University.

He also invoked provisions of the Kannur University Act and issued show-cause notices to all the stakeholders.

The Governor's decision came shortly after he told mediapersons to wait for 30 minutes to know what had happened regarding the controversial proposed appointment of the wife of a Left leader in the varsity's Malayalam department.