THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid controversies surrounding the higher education sector, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visited Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. They reportedly discussed various issues related to universities in the state.
Arlekar welcomed Pinarayi by draping a shawl, with the Raj Bhavan sharing the pictures on ‘X’. “Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan called on Hon’ble Governor Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Raj Bhavan, Kerala, today, upon his return from the foreign tour,” the post said.
Raj Bhavan sources said the friendly meeting lasted an hour -- from 3.30pm to 4.35pm. “Only the governor and the chief minister were present. They would have discussed various issues. It’s a kind of a thaw in the governor-state government relations,” the source said.
The chief minister’s visit follows steps initiated by Higher Education Minister R Bindu to resolve the vice-chancellor-syndicate tiff at the Kerala University in the aftermath of the Bharat Mata image controversy. Bindu had met Vice-Chancellor Mohanan Kunnummal as part of the efforts to work out a consensus between the VC and the syndicate. The SFI too has put an abrupt end to its weeks-long protests against placing the Bharat Mata image at a function the governor attended in the university senate hall in June.
The state government is also worried over the delay in the governor appointing in-charge vice-chancellors for the Digital University of Kerala and the Kerala Technological University from the panels it has submitted. Also, two bills related to universities are pending with the Raj Bhavan.