KANNUR: Campus politics is the Constitutional right of students and nobody has the right to deny it, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Monday. He was inaugurating the two day national seminar on ‘Parliamentary Democracy in India, Challenges and Threats’, organised by EK Nayanar Chair for Parliamentary affairs in collaboration with the Department of History and Heritage Studies at Kannur University and Internal Quality Assessment Cell.
In India people get the right to vote at the age of 18. Denying the right to organise to people belonging to this age group is against the essence of the Constitution, he said. To strengthen democracy, there should be an atmosphere conducive to the democratic activities which should be taught academically, he said. The strengthening of democratic activities at schools and colleges is the need of the hour, said Pinarayi.
The aspirations of the people can be fulfilled only if democracy is freed from the clutches of dirty money, he said. Democracy finds its meaning only when the problems of the working class are solved. Democracy rooted in wealth is not beneficial to the people, he said.
Kannur University Vice Chancellor Babu Sebastian presided over the function. Human rights activist Teestha Sethalvad was the chief guest. Pro vice chancellor T Ashokan, Registrar Balachandran Keezhoth, Syndicate member M Prakashan, P K Sreemathi MP, K K Ragesh MP, former Chief Minister E K Nayanar’s wife Sarada teacher, Manjula Poyil, KKN Kurup, Venkatesh Athreya and AK Ramakrishan spoke on the occasion.